South Korea protests against president take a festive turn

With blasting K-pop, glow sticks, food trucks and obligatory selfies, the protests that have swelled across South Korea since the president's shock declaration of martial law last week have taken on a festive mood.

- Raphael Rashid

Outside the national assembly in Seoul on Tuesday night, food trucks lined the streets selling traditional Korean snacks like tteokbokki (spicy rice cakes), sundae (blood sausage), and even beondegi, the favourite winter treat of boiled silkworm pupae.

Predominantly young female protesters wielded K-pop light sticks - expensive LED devices typically reserved for cheering their favourite idols at K-pop concerts. Many took selfies while clenching their flashing devices, each of which denote different fandoms.

"We're showing that political protests don't need to be grim," says Kwon Ji-soo, 20, as speaker trucks blare K-pop hits. "This country is in chaos right now. We use light sticks at concerts, so why not here? I support K-pop, but I also support democracy."

In the background, Christmas carols echo through the crowd. But a closer listen reveals renditions of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer and Jose Feliciano's "Feliz Navidad" rewritten with lyrics demanding presidential impeachment.