When President Yoon Suk Yeol imposed a short-lived period of martial law on Tuesday evening, panic sent South Koreans streaming into grocery stores had begin stockpiling daily necessities. At convenience stores, sales soared: canned goods by 337.3%, followed by packaged instant noodles at 253.8%, bottled water by 141%, and instant rice by 128.6%. Dry cell batteries sold 40.6% more than the same period a year ago, while first-aid kits saw a 39.5% increase in sales.
Most of the people buying now, especially those in their ’50s and ’60s, had been earlier entrenched under Martial Law in the 1980s. When the news about the imposition of martial law early Wednesday morning reached every part of the country, crowds were seen milling in the busy City Hall area of Seoul, confused and angry.
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That unforeseen announcement put an end to a number of planned visits, such as that of Ulf Kristersson, Prime Minister of Sweden, and Japanese lawmakers headed by former Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga. Also in doubt is a trip by US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, which was planned.