President Yoon declares emergency martial law to "fight anti-state forces"..."Release" in 6 hours.

[Anchor]
President Yoon Suk Yeol held an emergency press conference last night (3rd) and declared an emergency martial law, saying he would fight anti-state forces.

However, when the National Assembly voted to lift the emergency martial law, six hours after the martial law was announced, it accepted the National Assembly's demand and declared the martial law to be lifted.

Reporter Kang Min-kyung reports.

[Reporter]
At 10:23 p.m. last night, the President of Yoon Suk Yeol issued an unscheduled emergency statement and declared a state of emergency.

According to the Constitution, martial law can be declared by the President in the event of a war, incident, or equivalent national emergency.

[Yoon Suk Yeol / President: I declare an emergency decree to defend the Republic of Korea against the threat of North Korean communist forces, to eradicate the shameless pro-North Korean anti-national forces that are looting the freedom and happiness of our people, and to protect the free constitutional order.]In a statement held without a press corps, President

Yoon defined the National Assembly, which was dominated by the Democratic Party, as an "anti-state force."

Citing the opposition's successive motion to impeach government officials and the fact that it is trying to pass next year's major budget plan by cutting all of them, he said it is an attempt to overthrow the liberal democratic system.

[Yoon Suk Yeol / President: Our National Assembly has become a den of criminal groups and is attempting to paralyze the nation's judicial administration system and overthrow the liberal democratic system through legislative dictatorship. The National Assembly, which should be the basis of liberal democracy, has become a monster that collapses the liberal democracy system.]

{President Yoon said that he would rebuild and protect a free Republic of Korea, and that he would eradicate the evil of the world.

[Yoon Suk Yeol / President: This is an inevitable step to pass on a proper country to future generations, ensuring people's freedom, safety, and national sustainability from anti-state forces seeking to overthrow the system]

However, when the National Assembly held a plenary session and passed the demand for the lifting of martial law, President Yoon held another conference at around 4:30 a.m., three hours later, and said he would lift martial law.

[Yoon Suk Yeol / President: We have just withdrawn the military that has been put into martial law due to the National Assembly's demand for martial law to be lifted. We will lift martial law by accepting the demands of the National Assembly through a Cabinet meeting.]

{President Yoon announced his intention to lift martial law in six hours, but asked the National Assembly to stop the reckless act of paralyzing the function of the state through repeated impeachment, legislative and budgetary manipulation.

I'm Kang Min-kyung of YTN.

Video editing: Han Soo-min