As South Korea descended into political chaos this week, a woman appeared clutching the rifle barrel of an armed soldier outside the country’s National Assembly on Tuesday night.
Ahn Gwi-ryong, 35, a former TV anchor and spokeswoman for the opposition Democratic Party, went viral for her defiant act, which many considered brave.
However, she insists that putting her hand on the gun, in response to the short-lived martial law declaration, was not particularly remarkable or brave, and that she was doing everything she could to respond to the declaration and calm the situation in the country. Both sides.
Ahn Gwi-ryeong is seen in this still image from a video captured by JTBC holding the gun of an armed soldier.
GTPC
“My only thought was that I just needed to stop them. I pushed them away, shook them and did everything I could,” she told Reuters.
“A lot of people were fighting against the martial law forces, so I thought I had to stop them as well.”
Her act of defiance came hours after President Yoon Suk-yul declared martial law in a televised announcement — an announcement shocking even to those within his own party.
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Lawmakers took to the National Assembly shortly after, preparing to vote against the order. Their assistants gathered furniture in front of the entrance to the building to prevent the soldiers from entering. They formed human chains and sprayed the soldiers with fire extinguishers.
“If troops had come in and disrupted the vote, we would not have been able to lift martial law, and we would not be here today,” Ahn told CNN. “All I was thinking about was that I have to stop them. I felt like I was the last line standing in their way.
Ahn can be seen shouting at the soldier in the clip: “Leave him! Aren’t you ashamed?” After grabbing his gun, the soldier retreated.
Asked if she knew it would garner so much attention, Ahn told Reuters: “There were a lot of people braver than me who stood up to the martial law forces. And there were people who were able to stop the armored vehicles outside. So, I I don’t think my behavior was particularly special“.
Ahn Gwi-ryong, spokeswoman for South Korea’s main opposition Democratic Party and a former TV anchor, speaks during an interview with AFP at the National Assembly in Seoul on December 5, 2024.
Photography by Jung Yeon-ji/AFP via Getty Images
The commander of the martial law forces said on Thursday that he had no intention of using firearms against the public. The country’s deputy defense minister said that no live ammunition had been provided to the forces.
The declaration of martial law lasted only six hours.
Soldiers try to enter the National Assembly building in Seoul on December 4, 2024, after South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol declared martial law.
Jung Yoon Ji/AFP via Getty Images
Yoon claimed that the decree was necessary to eliminate “anti-state” forces in the opposition that control Parliament. It was criticized by the president’s allies and enemies alike, drawing hundreds of protesters to the streets overnight.
According to the BBC, declaring martial law would mean a ban on political opposition actions such as demonstrations and marches, a ban on labor action and strikes, and authorities taking control of the media. Anyone violating this order may be arrested or detained without a warrant.
On Thursday, South Korea’s opposition parties filed a motion to impeach Yoon, but it was not immediately clear whether any lawmaker in their party would support a vote to impeach Yoon. They are expected to vote this weekend, possibly on Friday.
Yoon’s removal will require support from 200 of the 300-member National Assembly. The Democratic Party of Korea and the five other small opposition parties, which jointly submitted the impeachment motion, have 192 seats.
Ahn told Reuters she believes “people have already psychologically isolated President Yeon Suk-yeol. Who can trust a president who declares martial law like a child playing games or entrusts the nation to such leadership?”
—With files from Sean Boynton of Global News and Reuters
&Copy 2024 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
