Social media fuels rapid citizen response to martial law crisis

[Anchor]

It can be said that the active use of mobile devices by citizens significantly influenced the quick resolution of this martial law situation.

Social media gathered countless citizens in front of the National Assembly in an instant and broadcasted the entire process to the world in real-time.

Reporter Shin Hyun-wook reports.

[Report]

As soon as the state of emergency was declared, citizens headed to the National Assembly.

Both the opposition and even the ruling party stepped up to prevent the martial law, and a vote on a resolution to lift the martial law was held in the National Assembly.

It took less than an hour after the declaration of martial law for the area in front of the National Assembly to be filled with crowds.

The situation on the ground was live-streamed by citizens.

The entrance to the National Assembly was blocked, and military helicopters were seen flying in.

The image of fully armed martial law troops entering the National Assembly spread in real-time through social media.

The search frequency for 'martial law' on Google reached its peak, and posts related to the state of emergency on social media, particularly 'X,' exceeded 900,000.

Politicians also shared the situation inside the National Assembly through their YouTube channels.

A live broadcast by Lee Jae-myung, the leader of the Democratic Party, attracted 2.38 million viewers, while the broadcast by National Assembly Speaker Woo Won-shik was watched by 600,000 people.

As the entire process of the state of emergency was shared in real-time, members of the National Assembly quickly gathered at the National Assembly building.

Citizens watched the urgent situation through online broadcasts throughout the night.

[Koo Jung-woo/Sociology Professor at Sungkyunkwan University: "The citizens voluntarily stepped up to monitor the situation from their respective positions and shared that information, demonstrating their capacity to uphold democracy."]

As unclear sources spread images of armored vehicles and false information about nighttime curfews, some users took it upon themselves to verify the claims directly.

This is KBS News, Shin Hyun-wook reporting.