'I knew the risks - that I could be shot': The South Koreans who stood up to president's martial law order
Public sentiment seems stacked against the president. A poll on Wednesday revealed more than seven out of 10 South Koreans were in favour of impeachment. But the ruling People Power Party has already vowed to block it.
Thursday 5 December 2024 13:55, UK
Kang Sun-Woo has hardly slept. The Democratic Party politician has been staying on the floor of the National Assembly in Seoul ever since the army stormed into it on Tuesday night.
She and many others in the opposition party are terrified President Yoon Suk Yeol will try to impose martial law once again.
"I haven't been able to go home for like two days and I am expecting that I will not able to go home for the next two to three days," she says.
"Approximately 170 members are literally physically staying here. Sleeping, eating, washing here right now."
Ms Kang believes the unpopular president's audacious move was motivated by a dangerous attempt to send a warning shot to his critics and she thinks he's capable of another incendiary surprise soon.
"President Yoon is a very unique person and it's very hard to predict his political decisions or what's going on in his mind," she says.
South Korean police have opened an investigation into the president for alleged "insurrection".
Ms Kang is in little doubt about it. "Personally, I do think he is guilty. But we will see how it goes," she says.
But first, there is an impeachment vote to tackle - due on Saturday evening.
Seven in 10 South Koreans in favour of impeachment
Public sentiment seems stacked against the president. A poll of about 500 people taken on Wednesday revealed more than seven out of 10 South Koreans were in favour of impeachment.
But the ruling People Power Party has already vowed to block it and the opposition needs at least eight members to support it if it's to pass.
That currently seems a tall task.
If the president's opponents don't get what they want, expect large protests in a country with a rich history of them.
Real fury on the streets
On the streets, I've witnessed real fury - people incredulous at the political gamble their leader took and the threat they believe it represents to a country that prides itself on democracy.
Outside the National Assembly, I meet Lee Jongjin.
When the army surged into the National Assembly, the 35-year-old rushed to the entrance with his camera. He wanted to bear witness to what was happening and to protect politicians so they could vote against the sudden plunge into military rule.
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"To put it grandly, I was trying to protect democracy," he tells me. "I knew the risks involved. That I could be shot."
He scaled a fence to get into the building, putting himself in the middle of absolute chaos.
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But he, like so many here, was determined to see stability established as quickly as possible. That remains intact.
But the last few days have exposed a vulnerability in South Korea and the next few days could easily create more.