'We had to stop this': Woman who grabbed South Korean soldier's gun speaks to BBC

In a dramatic turn of events in South Korea, a woman named Ahn Gwi-ryeong, who is 35 years old and serves as a spokesperson for the opposition Democratic Party, found herself at the center of a chaotic scene. This incident occurred when soldiers were deployed to prevent lawmakers from entering the National Assembly, a situation that many thought was a thing of the past in South Korea. Ahn's actions, which included grabbing the barrel of a soldier's gun during the turmoil, quickly gained attention on social media. She expressed her feelings to the BBC Korean Service, stating, 'I didn’t think… I just knew we had to stop this. ' Ahn was on her way to the assembly building when the soldiers arrived, and like many young people in South Korea, she was unfamiliar with the term 'martial law,' which had not been declared since 1979. Upon hearing the news, Ahn admitted that she felt a sense of panic. Martial law is a serious situation where political activities such as protests are banned, strikes are not allowed, and the government controls the media. People can be arrested without a warrant if they break these laws. Following the declaration of martial law, opposition leader Lee Jae-myung called for lawmakers to gather at the National Assembly to vote against it. Ahn arrived at the assembly building just after 11 PM, taking care to turn off the lights in her office to avoid being detected by the helicopters circling above. When she reached the main building, she found soldiers in a standoff with officials, aides, and citizens. Ahn described her feelings, saying, 'When I saw the armed soldiers… I felt like I was witnessing the regression of history. ' Ahn and her colleagues were determined to prevent the soldiers from entering the building where the vote was to take place. They locked the revolving doors from the inside and barricaded them with furniture and heavy objects. As the military advanced, Ahn stepped forward, admitting, 'Honestly, I was scared at first,' but she felt compelled to act, thinking, 'I can’t stay silent. ' The assembly ultimately passed a resolution to lift the martial law around 1 AM, with all 190 members present voting in favor of it. By 4:26 AM, President Yoon announced that he would reverse his decision regarding the martial law. After the chaos settled, Ahn managed to get a little sleep inside the assembly building. She later shared that she felt anxious about going outside in the morning because there were no taxis available, and it was hard to return to normal life after such a tumultuous night. During her interview with the BBC, Ahn wore the same black turtleneck and leather jacket she had on during the previous night’s events. At times, she was visibly emotional, stating, 'It’s heartbreaking and frustrating that this is happening in 21st century Korea.