Tim Franks
BBC News Hour

It’s rare to get a chance to speak to an MP at 2am, and it’s even rarer to get a chance to speak to them when they have – in effect – just broken into Parliament premises.

But that’s exactly what we’ve just achieved on the BBC World Service’s Newshour programme.

Hong Kiwon is a member of the National Assembly of the main opposition Democratic Party.

He told me that he was asleep when the President declared martial law late that night. Hong’s wife woke him up to tell him the news.

image source, Reuters

Hong says he couldn’t believe it at first. Then he ran to Parliament.

When he got there, police blocked the entrance. So he told the protesters who he was and they gave him the opportunity to climb over the wall.

In the parliamentary chamber he said everyone agreed. Even members of the president’s own party can’t believe what’s going on, he said.

“Democracy is strong here,” emphasizes Hong, adding: