'It feels like a coup d'état' - people in Seoul share their fears

South Koreans person been describing feelings of worry, daze and disorder aft the country's president declared martial law, plunging the state into governmental chaos.

In a televised code connected Tuesday, President Yoon Suk Yeol said the determination was needed to support the state from North Korea's communist forces and to destruct anti-state elements - earlier it was swiftly blocked by MPs.

It has near immoderate anxious astir the existent beingness fallout from the governmental instability, including Seoul nonmigratory Ra Ji-soo, who reported proceeding helicopters adjacent her location precocious connected Tuesday.

“It feels similar a coup d'état successful Myanmar is happening present successful Korea. I’m worried,” Ra told the BBC.

Adding to the consciousness of events spiralling retired of control, she besides said a person successful the constabulary unit had received an exigency mobilisation bid and was connected their mode to the station.

In the contiguous aftermath of Yoon's announcement, the country's subject declared the suspension of each parliamentary activity.

Footage showed a dense constabulary beingness extracurricular the National Assembly successful the Yeongdeungpo District successful the South Korean capital, and scuffles breaking retired betwixt constabulary and protesters.

Despite the wording of Yoon's pronouncement, it rapidly became wide wrong South Korea that his drastic determination was successful effect to a bid of governmental events that person destabilised his leadership.

A South Korean woman, who wished to stay anonymous for fearfulness of speaking out, said she felt Yoon was “attempting to restrict everyone's state and close to explicit their concerns and judgement towards the government.

"I americium truthful frightened that South Korea volition crook into different North Korea," she added.

Another Seoul resident, Kim Mi-rim, told the BBC she had hurriedly packed an exigency kit, fearing the concern could escalate. She recalled that erstwhile instances of martial instrumentality progressive arrests and imprisonment.

The BBC has besides spoken to journalists successful Seoul who are coordinating closely, sharing proposal connected staying harmless arsenic if martial instrumentality remains successful effect, each media and publishing activities volition autumn nether strict authorities control.

Other radical feared they could beryllium inadvertently impacted by the move.

"How tin idiosyncratic who accidental helium serves the state beryllium truthful careless successful acting connected his whim," Don Jung Kang, a tiny concern proprietor who makes accessories told the BBC.

"As a self-employed idiosyncratic I truly deliberation determination volition beryllium a monolithic harm to my business. Just from his words the currency has crashed... And it volition earnestly impact importing materials."

On Tuesday night, the person of South Korea's ruling People's Power Party, Han Dong-hoon, called connected lawmakers and the nationalist to stitchery extracurricular the National Assembly gathering - the main parliament - successful Seoul.

Protesters chanted "no to martial law" and "strike down dictatorship" arsenic the sounds of sirens from dozens of assembled constabulary patrol cars and riot constabulary buses occasionally rang out.

Clashes betwixt constabulary and protesters were reported successful the aboriginal hours of Wednesday.

But immoderate radical were near mystified by the move.

“The streets look normal, radical present are surely bewildered,” John Nilsson-Wright, an subordinate prof astatine the University of Cambridge, told the World Service from Seoul.

“It looked similar this was simply authorities of a mean sort.”

Juye Hong, a South Korean assemblage student, said her household and friends were "frantically texting, trying to marque consciousness of this situation" which felt similar "being thrown into a implicit nightmare".

She said the deficiency of clarity made the announcement "even much distressing".

"People are saying determination are soldiers crossed the metropolis and tanks crossed the large districts," said Juye.

"My friends and I don’t cognize if schools volition beryllium unfastened tomorrow, however the falling worth of the won and rising speech rates volition impact the economy, and if young men mightiness beryllium conscripted."