SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — In the groundswell of fury and defiance that erupted amongst South Koreans after their president declared martial legislation, curbing the nation’s hard-won freedoms, it was maybe the long-lasting second.
As parliamentarians scrambled to get contained in the National Assembly constructing to reverse the emergency measure, a lady in a leather-based coat confronted one of many troopers who was making an attempt to cease the lawmakers, grabbed his automated rifle and tried to tug it away whereas yelling “Aren’t you ashamed?”
As the soldier backed away, he raised the rifle’s barrel towards the lady. She pressed on, grabbing it because it was pointed at her chest, nonetheless yelling, earlier than he gave up, turned and walked away.
Video of the encounter shortly went viral and have become a social media rallying cry that helped gasoline the six-hour outburst of protest earlier than President Yoon Suk Yeol was compelled to rescind the martial legislation order early Wednesday morning.
But the lady within the leather-based coat, An Gwiryeong, advised The Associated Press it was simply one in every of many acts of resistance that chilly Tuesday night time in Seoul.
“I don’t assume my actions had been that particular, the truth is, there have been many individuals on the scene that day who had been a lot braver than I used to be,” the 35-year-old mentioned in an interview Friday in a parliamentary workplace.
“For instance, the residents who couldn’t enter the National Assembly had been exterior, blocking the armored autos and exhibiting such braveness,” she mentioned. “So I don’t assume my actions had been significantly particular or braver than anybody else’s.”
A former tv anchor, An left her job at YTN tv in 2022 and joined opposition chief Lee Jae-myung’s presidential marketing campaign in 2022 as a spokesperson.
She was the Democratic Party’s candidate for Dobong district in Seoul within the 2024 common election however misplaced, and is at the moment a celebration spokesperson.
When Yoon declared martial legislation late on Tuesday, An, like many South Koreans, watched the ten:29 p.m. nationwide deal with on tv.
Shocked on the announcement, she jumped right into a taxi and headed for the National Assembly, one of many hundreds of people that did the identical.
While South Korea’s president can declare martial legislation, which Yoon used to announce bans on anti-government demonstrations and political events and controls on the media, the structure permits the National Assembly to vote to finish it.
Following his announcement, Yoon dispatched police and troopers to the National Assembly to stop lawmakers from getting inside to carry a vote, and folks like An streamed to the constructing to make it possible for they might.
“When I arrived on the National Assembly, I might hear the sound of helicopters,” she recalled. “The martial legislation troops had been already in a standoff with the residents.”
She mentioned troops had been making an attempt to enter the constructing, and she or he joined the rising throng of individuals making an attempt to carry them again.
“I assumed, we’ve got to stop that,” she mentioned. “If the doorway right here is breached and the martial legislation troops get inside, they may block the vote, after which not solely will the martial legislation not be lifted, however our nation’s democracy shall be over. There shall be no subsequent time.”
That’s when she discovered herself confronting a soldier in full battle gear, grabbed his rifle and tried to wrest it from him.
“At that second, I assumed, “Is this actual?” she recalled.
”I used to be scared as a result of I’m only a human. But as I mentioned, the thought that we should cease them was stronger than my concern. I didn’t really feel it was actual as a result of armed troopers with weapons getting into the National Assembly? I assumed it was ridiculous.”
An and the others succeeded, and sufficient lawmakers, together with members of Yoon’s personal get together, had been capable of get into the principle corridor of the meeting to kind a quorum. Just after 1 a.m. they voted 190-0 to finish martial legislation and the safety forces started leaving the realm minutes later.
At 4:30 a.m. martial legislation was formally lifted following an emergency assembly of Yoon’s Cabinet. But An stayed on on the National Assembly, unconvinced it was throughout.
“I didn’t know what may occur subsequent,” she mentioned. “I couldn’t let my guard down.”
Eventually she did go dwelling, however mentioned it took till Thursday for her to start out coming down from the adrenaline-fueled mayhem of that night time.
“I’ve began to really feel my physique aching a bit as the stress has considerably eased,” she mentioned.
Now, she mentioned warily, it’s a matter of seeing whether or not requires Yoon’s impeachment shall be profitable.
“I don’t assume it’s over but,” she mentioned.
___ Rising reported from Bangkok. Jung Yoon Kim in Bangkok contributed to this story.
