ⓒYONHAP News

Hong Kong police used force to disperse protesters on Wednesday, which marks the 23rd anniversary of the island reverting to Chinese rule, as demonstrations continue following the enactment of a national security law a day earlier.

China passed a sweeping security law known as Article 55, which states that Beijing’s national security office in Hong Kong could exercise jurisdiction over what it views as “complex” or “serious” cases.

Also under the law, mainland security agencies will be based in Hong Kong officially for the first time, with powers that go beyond the city’s local laws.

Hong Kong residents, who protested in the Wanchai district, voiced their opposition to the law. Police were seen detaining and searching people.

"I’m here to witness the transition from the one country two systems -- and now, overnight, to one country, one system. Most of us Hongkoners were silenced. Even my friends want to have their Whatsapp groups edited -- that are full of information from the past year."

"More than 22 years we come here in protest of the... single party rule in China. And also we demand the Chinese government to release all the political prisoners.“

Many Western governments, including the U.S., decried the law as an unprecedented assault on the liberties and autonomy of the financial hub.

The U.S. State Department said in a statement on Tuesday that the new measures “eviscerate Hong Kong’s freedoms and have forced the Trump Administration to re-evaluate its policies toward the territory.”

South Korea’s Foreign Ministry said it is monitoring the latest developments, adding that it supports a high level of autonomy in Hong Kong.

"Hong Kong maintains personnel and economic exchanges that are very close to us and we are paying keen attention and watching the trend closely with regards to the passage of the Hong Kong security law and its future impact. The [South Korean] government respects the 1984 declaration between China and Britain and in accordance with the Basic Law, we believe that it's important for Hong Kong to continue to prosper and maintain stability while enjoying a high level of autonomy under China's 'one nation, two systems' policy."

Washington’s decision to strip Hong Kong of special trade privileges has triggered jitters among South Korean businesses, many of which use the island as a conduit to export products to mainland China.

Hong Kong was the fourth-largest destination for South Korean exports last year, according to the Korea International Trade Association. South Korea exported 31-point-nine billion dollars worth of products to the island in 2019, with 98 percent of it being shipped to China and only one-point-nine percent to the U.S.