South Korea's martial law crisis makes headlines in North Korea for first time

For the first time since President Yoon Suk Yeol’s attempt to impose martial law, North Korean official media KCNA reported on South Korea’s ongoing political unrest on Wednesday.

A major United States (US) ally and Asia’s fourth-largest economy were thrown into a constitutional crisis by last week’s unexpected martial law declaration, which sent shockwaves across the diplomatic and economic fronts and raised fears of a power vacuum.

Following a week of quiet, KCNA released a story on the martial law problem and the escalating ‘social unrest’ in the South.

The dispatch mostly reported on a series of demonstrations that more than a million people participated in, demanding Yoon’s impeachment, but it did not provide much analysis.

“The puppet Yoon Suk Yeol, who had already faced a serious crisis of governance and impeachment, declared martial law unexpectedly and unleashed the guns of the fascist dictatorship on the people,” KCNA said.

“His insane act, reminiscent of the coup during the military dictatorship decades ago, has drawn strong condemnation from all walks of life, including the opposition party, and further exploded the public’s fervour for impeachment.”