Russia and China respond to South Korea developments
The foreign ministries of Russia and China have responded to the crisis in South Korea.
Moscow’s foreign spokesperson said it is following the events with concern, but that there are no threats to Russian citizens there.
Meanwhile, China’s foreign minister, Wang Yi, told reporters that South Korea’s political situation is an “internal matter” for the country.
Union plans strikes calling for president to go
Hyundai Motor’s labour union plans to stage strikes for four hours tomorrow and Friday, a spokesperson has said.
South Korea’s Metal Workers’ Union, of which the Hyundai Motor union is part of, is also threatening a full strike from next week, Yonhap news agency has reported.
It says this will take place unless Yoon Suk Yeol steps down as president.
Yoon is facing impeachment from opposition politicians after he declared martial law yesterday, only to reverse the move hours later.
Thousands of protesters line Seoul streets
Thousands of people are attending a candlelit rally on the streets of Seoul this evening.
Signs displayed by protesters are calling for the resignation of President Yoon Suk Yeol after his surprise declaration of martial law last night.
He is now facing impeachment proceedings after a rushed vote to block the order by MPs, who forced their way into the National Assembly, forced him to backtrack.
“This is a country with a rich history of protest, and it’s been swift in this particular moment,” says Asia correspondent Cordelia Lynch, who is in Seoul (see 9.25 post).
“You’ve got a lot of people gathered here that are willing to stand up to get their voices heard – and they are now on the march.”
Defence minister offers resignation – reports
South Korea’s defence minister has offered to resign from his position, according to the Yonhap news agency.
Kim Yong-hyun was reportedly an important influence behind President Yoon Suk Yeol’s decision to impose martial law in South Korea yesterday.
Impeachment proceedings have already begun against Yoon, and Yonhap reports that Kim is also facing a similar motion from politicians.
‘We want to take back democracy’
South Koreans are attending a candlelight vigil in Seoul tonight to condemn Yoon Suk Yeol’s declaration of martial law yesterday.
Speaking to Asia correspondent Cordelia Lynch, Jin Ryu, a member of staff of the opposition Democratic Party, described the scenes in the capital yesterday as frightening.
“It was terrible, horrible,” she says. “Helicopters floating, soldiers with guns. We’re just normal people, so we were all scared.”
Asked what people wanted to achieve by gathering with candles in Seoul tonight, Ms Jin said: “We want to take back the democracy which is ours, which is written in blood in our history in South Korea.
“We want to recover democracy, so here it is.”
You can watch Lynch’s report from Seoul below.
US says it is ‘encouraged by resilience’ of Korean democracy
America’s ambassador to Seoul says the US is “encouraged by the resilience of Korean democracy”, according to South Korean’s Yonhap news agency.
“We were concerned about the events of last night,” says Philip Goldberg.
“The United States supports that democracy and the people of Korea to resolve issues peacefully, democratically and constitutionally.”
Mr Goldberg added that US commitment to South Korea was “unwavering” and the US is “always on alert and prepared”.
Analysis: South Korea is in political limbo – more instability is likely
By Nicole Johnston, Asia correspondent
It will take time for the dust to settle in South Korea after a night of political drama at the highest level.
The country’s democracy was almost derailed before President Yoon backed down as the National Assembly cancelled martial law.
Speaking to people in South Korea today, they say they’re relieved but still in shock, and they’re also angry at the attempt to turn the clock back on the nation’s democratic progress.
There’s also confusion. What was President Yoon thinking when he ordered martial law without even the full support of his party?
His cabinet members filed to resign this morning. The president must approve it.
Six opposition parties have submitted a bill to impeach Yoon. Developments are moving fast.
He has the option of resigning, that’s what the opposition and public are calling for. But so far, Yoon appears determined to hold on.
If the impeachment bill is passed by a two-thirds majority in parliament, the legal process could take a few months.
In the meantime, South Korea will be on shaky ground and in political limbo, with the prime minister standing in as president.
The country’s civil society groups are keeping up the pressure, calling for a massive protest at 6pm in Seoul and expecting 30,000 people to attend.
South Koreans have wrestled back their democracy and are making it clear that the actions of Yoon Suk Yeol are not acceptable to them.
There’s likely to be more instability to come.
Crisis is ‘wake-up call’ for West, says former minister
The crisis in South Korea should be a “huge wake-up call” for the West, says former UK defence minister Tobias Ellwood.
The disorder in South Korea and the decision by Yoon to declare martial law will have made Western nations like the US and the UK nervous, he says.
“Authoritarianism as a whole is growing across the world. Democracies are on the decline,” he tells Sky News.
“And here is a very, what we thought, strong democracy, now dabbling with the idea that martial law might have been introduced.
“And we’re still clearly not out of the woods yet because there’s a period of instability that we’re now going to go through. So for the West, this is a huge wake-up call.”
Ellwood says the West has “given space for disorder to grow”, citing Donald Trump’s willingness to pull the US away from places like Taiwan and Ukraine.
“I’m afraid our adversaries, particularly China, Russia and Iran, are taking advantage of that,” he adds.
NATO ‘monitoring events’ in South Korea
NATO’s secretary-general says the alliance is monitoring the current situation in South Korea and that its relationship with Seoul was “ironclad”.
“We are following events in South Korea, we are interested in how the situation may develop further,” Mark Rutte said at a NATO meeting in Brussels.
“Our relationship with South Korea is key, our relationship with South Korea is ironclad,” he added.
South Korea is not a member of NATO, but is considered a key ally.
Yoon under pressure to step down – as 30,000 expected to gather in Seoul tonight
Yoon Suk Yeol may decide that stepping down as South Korea’s president is the best option for him, says Asia correspondent Nicole Johnston.
The leader is facing an impeachment motion after his short-lived decision to impose martial law across South Korea.
MPs filed the motion against Yoon today, which could be put to a vote by the end of the week.
If it passes, Johnston says, the process could drag on for “four or five months”, with Han Duck-soo, the prime minister, stepping in as president as the political dust settles.
“For the time being, things are a little calmer on the street compared with those crazy scenes that we had deep into the night last night,” adds Johnston.
“A few hundred people have gathered, protesting, celebrating. There is a strike by the country’s largest trade union.
“We’ve just heard that civil society groups are calling on people to go to the streets tonight, and they’re expecting that in Seoul, some 30,000 people will heed the call.”