South Korean president declares emergency martial law over opposition

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol has declared an emergency martial law (AP)

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol has declared martial law, vowing to eliminate “anti-state” forces as he struggles against an opposition that controls the country’s parliament and which he accuses of sympathising with communist North Korea.

The surprising move harks back to an era of authoritarian leaders that the country has not seen since the 1980s, and was immediately denounced by the opposition and by the leader of Mr Yoon’s own conservative party.