South Korean president's overnight power grab ends in dawn retreat

Seoulʼs morning rush-hour seemed unchanged today despite a night of political chaos when President Yoon Suk Yeol tried to enforce martial law for six hours (a move that hasnt been seen in over four decades)

The capitals nine-million residents went about their usual business even though armed troops with night-vision gear broke into the parliament building through broken-up windows while helicopters flew overhead: this dramatic scene ended quickly when lawmakers defied the presidents orders

Gang He-Soo a 50-year old local shared her experience: “I couldnt sleep because I was so confused and scared‚ its hard to believe this could happen now“

The short-lived power-grab impacted markets right away making the won drop to its lowest point in many years. A surprising side-effect showed up in store sales data:

• Canned food purchases went up 337%
• Instant noodle sales increased 254%
• Bottled water demand jumped 141%

Thousands of people rushed to the National Assembly building to protest and about two-hundred parliament members gathered for an emergency vote — this forced Yoon to back down before dawn. The Korean Confederation of Trade Unions announced theyʼd keep striking until the president steps-down

The presidents office tried to explain the timing saying they chose night-time to “minimize damage to the national economy and peoples lives“‚ but many locals like Kim Byeong-In felt disturbed: “Its like something from movies but much scarier in real-life“