6 hours of anger, bravery and defiance as martial law imposition played out in South Korea

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol shocked the nation in a televised address late Tuesday, declaring martial law and calling in troops to secure the National Assembly building where parliament sits.

The announcement sent citizens streaming to the streets in protest, braving the December chill to call for Yoon’s resignation and martial law to be lifted.

The standoff played out over a few tense hours, with cameras capturing the moments of anger, bravery and defiance before Yoon was forced to back down. Here’s how it played out:

Leaning forward on a lectern, President Yoon tells a national television audience he is declaring martial law, giving his government sweeping powers to prevent anti-government demonstrations, ban political parties and control the media.

He tells the audience it's needed “in order to defend the free Republic of Korea from the threat of North Korean communist forces.”

With his hands firmly rested on either side of the stand, Yoon gravely reads a statement accusing the country’s opposition of sympathizing with North Korea, claiming “anti-state forces” have been “wreaking havoc and are the main culprits of our nation's downfall,” but doesn’t back his claims with direct evidence.

“This measure is necessary to justify our constitutional order of freedom,” Yoon says.

Martial law takes effect, and crowds have already started to gather at the National Assembly where they are greeted by riot police stationed outside the building to hold them back.

As the crowds build, so do the security forces, with busloads of police arriving at the scene and military transport helicopters bringing in troops.

As one armored military vehicle approaches, a small group of protesters surrounds it, refusing to let it pass, as they yell at the soldiers buttoned up inside. Police arrive at the scene en masse, clearing the protesters and then running alongside the vehicle to keep the route open as it finally continues on its way.

Outside the Assembly, protesters wave signs and chant slogans, such as “Martial law is invalid" and “Yoon Suk Yeol step down!" Some turn their attention toward the military and police, chanting “Withdraw! Withdraw!”

As three helicopters pass overhead, one woman looks up and says sarcastically: “Isn’t this a historical moment?”

While in South Korea, the president has the prerogative to declare martial law, a parliament vote can end it.

Knowing this, lawmakers begin streaming to the National Assembly as soon as they learn of Yoon's move, hoping that enough of them could get inside the security cordon to establish a quorum and hold a vote.

As he makes his way to the building, opposition leader Lee Jae-myung, who narrowly lost to Yoon in the 2022 presidential election, begins livestreaming his journey.

In his car, the Democratic Party politician urges Koreans to converge on parliament to help lawmakers get inside, saying: “The National Assembly must vote to lift martial law.”

“There is a very high possibility that the military will be mobilized to arrest members of parliament,” he says. “Please come to the National Assembly. Though it’s very late, it’s up to our citizens to protect this country. We will also risk our lives to protect the democracy of this country.”

Close to the end of the nearly 23-minute livestream, Lee gets out of his car and shaky video footage shows him going over a fence to get onto the grounds, then heading inside.

At 11:28 p.m., the South Korean military announces controls on the media and the suspension of political activities but takes no immediate steps to enforce the proclamation.

By around midnight, the number of lawmakers who arrive at parliament exceeds 150, meeting the quorum requirement, but many who reach the building after police and soldiers get there struggle to access the main chamber.

As lawmakers try to get inside to hold their vote, scuffles break out at the entrance to the National Assembly between the crowd of people and heavily armed soldiers.

In one dramatic confrontation, Democratic Party spokesperson Ahn Gwi-ryeong, a former television news anchor, grabs the rifle of a soldier in full battle gear, pulling at it as she screams, “Let it go” and “Aren’t you ashamed?”

As the two grapple with one another, the soldier breaks away from Ahn and raises the loaded rifle toward her as he steps backward. Ahn grabs its barrel briefly before the soldier retreats further, and she yells, “Aren’t you ashamed?” at him as he leaves.

Parliamentary speaker Woo Won-shik is able to get into the main hall of the Assembly and opens the session in which lawmakers introduce a motion to revoke martial law. The 67-year-old was earlier seen climbing over a fence to get into the Assembly’s building.

Lawmakers vote 190 to 0 to lift martial law and minutes after, security forces begin leaving the National Assembly building.

President Yoon returns to the lectern in his second national address of the night, telling Koreans that parliament has voted to end martial law and that he has ordered the withdrawal of the military forces he deployed.

He reiterates his accusations against the opposition, however, saying that he requests “that the parliament immediately ceases the reckless actions that are paralyzing the functions of the state, such as repeated impeachment, legislative manipulation and budget manipulation.”

At about 4:30 a.m., martial law is officially lifted, following an emergency meeting of Yoon's Cabinet.

Rising reported from Bangkok.

People gather in front of the National Assembly in Seoul, South Korea, Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2024. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)

People gather to demand South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol step down in front of the National Assembly in Seoul, South Korea, Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2024. (Kim Do-hoon/Yonhap via AP)

People gather to demand South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol to step down in front of the National Assembly in Seoul, South Korea, Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2024. (Kim Do-hoon/Yonhap via AP)

A National Assembly staff sprays fire extinguishers to block soldiers entering the main hall of the National Assembly in Seoul, South Korea, Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2024. (Jo Da-un/Yonhap via AP)

South Korea's main opposition Democratic Party leader Lee Jae-myung, center, speaks at the National Assembly in Seoul, South Korea, Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2024. (Kim Ju-hyung/Yonhap via AP)

In this photo taken from video released by South Korea's National Assembly Speaker's Office on Tuesday, Dec. 3, 2024, South Korea's National Assembly Speaker Woo Won-shik delivers his speech. (South Korea's National Assembly Speaker's Office via AP)

South Korean martial law soldiers try to enter the National Assembly compound in Seoul, South Korea, Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2024. (Cho Jung-woo/Newsis via AP)

Military vehicles are surrounded by people outside the National Assembly in Seoul, South Korea, Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2024. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)

A man shouts to demand South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol to step down in front of the National Assembly in Seoul, South Korea, Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2024. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)

A helicopter flies over the National Assembly in Seoul, South Korea, Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2024. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)

Police officers stand guard in front of the National Assembly in Seoul, South Korea, Tuesday, Dec. 3, 2024. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)

In this photo provided by South Korea Presidential Office, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol speaks during a press briefing at the presidential office in Seoul, South Korea, Tuesday, Dec. 3, 2024. (South Korea Unification Ministry via AP).

WASHINGTON (AP) — Pete Hegseth, President-elect Donald Trump's pick for Defense Secretary, spent a second day on Capitol Hill, meeting privately with Republican senators amid rising questions about his ability to effectively lead the Pentagon.

Hegseth told reporters Tuesday that he was planning to sit down with senators, even with those potentially skeptical of his nomination.

“We’re going to meet with every senator that wants to meet with us, across the board,” Hegseth as he went from office to office. “And we welcome their advice as we go through the advice and counsel process.”

Trump tapped the Fox News co-host, a former Army National Guard major and combat veteran who deployed to both Iraq and Afghanistan, as his Secretary of Defense, typically among the first Cabinet posts to be considered by the U.S. Senate for confirmation.

But Hegseth is running into questions amid a sexual assault allegation, which he has denied, and other emerging reports about his work conduct and history.

GOP Sen. Lindsey Graham said some of the reports are “disturbing.”

“I want to make sure that every young woman that joins the military feels respected and welcomed,” Graham told CBS News.

The South Carolina lawmaker told the AP later that he doesn’t know whether to believe the allegations, and Hegseth “has a chance to say that’s true or not true.”

Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., said he's seen the reports. “I’ll get the chance to talk to him, and I’m sure he’ll address them," he said. "But my view is, have the hearing.”

Before he was tapped to serve as a weekend host of “Fox & Friends,” Hegseth served at two veterans advocacy groups, Concerned Veterans for America and Veterans For Freedom.

In new allegations this week, the New Yorker cited what it described as a whistleblower report and other documents about his time leading CVA that alleged multiple incidents of alcohol intoxication at work events, inappropriate behavior around female staffers and financial mismanagement.

NBC News reported that several unnamed current and former Fox employees who worked with Hegseth said his drinking habits raised concerns, including some who said he would show up smelling of alcohol.

The Associated Press spoke to four people who had either worked at CVA or were familiar with Hegseth’s time there who insisted on anonymity because they were not allowed to speak to the media or had signed nondisclosure agreements.

While the group’s all-day conferences could run late and often wind up at a nearby bar, three of the four said they had not seen Hegseth intoxicated at events.

One person who had been connected to CVA told the AP, however, that some employees had raised concerns about Hegseth’s alcohol use but said that his departure from the group was more connected to growing ideological differences between him and the network of conservative nonprofits funded by billionaire donors Charles Koch and his late brother, David Koch.

Trump is drawing from the ranks of loyalists to fill his administration and to Cabinet positions, often stunning Washington with unusual choices that are provocative and testing the senators who will be asked to confirm them under the chamber’s advise and consent role.

An early pick, Matt Gaetz, the former congressman from Florida, abruptly withdrew from consideration when it became clear that Senate support was crumbling. Gaetz, who had been investigated but never charged in a federal sex trafficking probe, faced a House Ethics investigation over sexual misconduct.

Trump's choices can only afford to lose a few detractors in the Senate, where it takes majority approval to be confirmed. Republicans will have a 53-seat majority in the new year, meaning four GOP votes could sink a nominee, if all Democrats are opposed.

Republican senators have been weighing their options.

If confirmed, Hegseth would not only be part of critical command and control of the nation’s nuclear weapons, he would be sixth in the line of succession to the presidency. It’s a position that ages its occupants and demands constant response, due to the number of middle-of-the-night contingencies that can occur when U.S. service members are put in harm’s way.

There have been private discussions among senators about the allegations and how to approach the situation, according to one person granted anonymity to discuss the private conversations.

During a closed-door meeting with about a dozen senators late Monday evening, none asked Hegseth about the allegations against him.

“You know what? The American people care about restoring our military,” said Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, after the meeting. He decried as “shameful” the criticism of Hegseth.

While Republican senators are reluctant to raise questions publicly — and several dismissed the reports outright — many of them indicated he could face tough questions in a confirmation hearing.

“That’s what the process is for,” said Utah Rep. John Curtis, an incoming freshman senator.

Questions about Hegseth and other nominees are “why a background check is important, why a committee investigation is critical,” said Maine Sen. Susan Collins.

Alabama Sen. Tommy Tuberville said after meeting Monday with Hegseth that he is very supportive of the nomination.

But Tuberville said of the allegations: “If it’s to a certain degree, people aren’t going to vote to confirm him.“

Hegseth, 44, was a co-host of Fox News Channel’s “Fox and Friends Weekend” and had been a contributor with the network since 2014. He developed a friendship with Trump, who made regular appearances on the show.

Hegseth served in the Army National Guard from 2002 to 2021, deploying to Iraq in 2005 and Afghanistan in 2011 and earning two Bronze Stars. He lacks senior military and national security experience and would oversee global crises ranging from Europe to the Middle East.

A woman told police that she was sexually assaulted in 2017 by Hegseth after he took her phone, blocked the door to a California hotel room and refused to let her leave, according to a detailed investigative report recently made public.

Hegseth told police at the time that the encounter had been consensual and has denied any wrongdoing.

Associated Press writers Byron Tau and Kimberly Kindy and researcher Rhonda Shafner in New York contributed to this report.

Pete Hegseth, President-elect Donald Trump's nominee to be defense secretary, is joined by his wife Jennifer Rauchet, left, as they arrive to meet with Sen. Ted Budd, R-N.C., a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, at the Capitol in Washington, Tuesday, Dec. 3, 2024. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

Pete Hegseth, President-elect Donald Trump's nominee to be defense secretary, is joined by his wife Jennifer Rauchet, left, as they arrive to meet with Sen. Ted Budd, R-N.C., a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, at the Capitol in Washington, Tuesday, Dec. 3, 2024. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)