Yoon abruptly declared martial law on Tuesday, in a move that was widely condemned and reversed. Now the opposition accuses the president of attempting a coup and demands his resignation.

Schwede told ERR on Wednesday morning that few people agree with the president's decision to declare martial law.

"Today's early morning events have likely consolidated society around the goal of either forcing the president to resign or initiating an impeachment process," he said. "There is no doubt that this was a significant shock to much of society, and of course, it reminded many of the events from around 40 years ago in the 1980s, when South Korea was still an autocratic state."

Society is recovering from the shock and will presumably come together afterward, the ambassador said. Trade unions have decided to proceed with demonstrations until the president steps down.

Schwede said the situation is reminiscent of 2016-2017 when President Park Geun-hye was impeached. The pressure came from huge mass protests.

"So, it can be assumed that if the president does not make this decision quickly or if he opposes the impeachment process or the decision of the National Assembly, the people will likely take to the streets," the ambassador predicted.

How and if South Korea's political crisis will affect the security of the wider region, including North Korea and Taiwan, is currently unclear, according to Schwede.

"It can be assumed that North Korea will not take advantage of this situation at the moment, because, somewhat ironically, it benefits them. They are certainly in favor of the current president being removed from office," he noted.

Schwede added that, in the long run, any turmoil in South Korea is likely in the interests of both North Korea and Russia, as it would shift the attention of the international community and its partners toward the Korean Peninsula.

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