Seoul, South Korea
CNN
—

South Korea is reeling after an eight-hour whiplash in which the country’s embattled president declared martial law but was forced to lift it amid widespread condemnation, plunging the country’s political landscape into chaos and uncertainty.

The saga began unfolding on Tuesday evening as most South Koreans were preparing to go to bed – prompting angry lawmakers to push past soldiers into parliament to overturn the decree, while protesters called for President Yoon Suk Yeol’s removal and no return about the country’s painful authoritarian past.

At dawn, the president relented and agreed to lift martial law.

But questions still surround the future of Yoon’s presidency, his party’s rule and what happens next in one of the world’s most important economies and a key ally of the United States.

We know that.

Yoon imposed martial law in an unannounced late-night televised address at around 10:30 p.m. local time on Tuesday, accusing the country’s main opposition party of pro-North Korea sympathies and “anti-state” activities.

He also cited a motion by the opposition Democratic Party, which has a majority in parliament, the indictment of top prosecutors and the rejection of a government budget proposal.

Martial law is the granting of temporary military rule during a state of emergency that the president can constitutionally declare. But the announcement hit like a bombshell, sending shockwaves through a democratic nation and setting off a stunning late-night political showdown.

In a country with a strong contemporary tradition of free expression, Yoon’s military decree banned all political activities, including protests, rallies and actions by political parties, according to Yonhap news agency. It also banned “denial of free democracy or attempted subversion” and “manipulation of public opinion.”

In the end, the decree only lasted a few hours.

MPs flocked to Parliament, pushing past the soldiers who had cordoned off the building.

In an extraordinary emergency meeting late in the evening, those present voted unanimously to block the decree, a vote the president is legally obliged to take.

The country’s political blocs came together to oppose Yoon’s decree – including members of his own party. The party leader apologized to the public and demanded an explanation from the president.

At 4:30 a.m., Yoon announced that he would comply with and lift the martial law order, saying he had withdrawn troops deployed earlier in the night. However, he stepped up allegations that the opposition party was thwarting his government’s moves and called on lawmakers to end their “legislative manipulation.”

Yoon’s cabinet voted to repeal the decree shortly afterwards.

South Korea has been in a bitter political stalemate for months after the country’s liberal opposition parties won a parliamentary majority in April. The election was widely seen as a referendum on Yoon, whose popularity has plummeted since he took office in 2022 amid a series of scandals and controversies.

Yoon, a conservative, has clashed with the opposition on many of his policies that require legislation, preventing him from following through on his campaign promises to cut taxes and loosen business regulations.

He has also become increasingly frustrated with the opposition’s efforts to indict government officials, some of whom he has appointed – including the chairman of the broadcast regulator, the chairman of the state auditor and several top prosecutors, Yonhap said.

The prosecutors in particular are a sore point for Yoon. Opposition lawmakers claim they failed to impeach Yoon’s wife, the first lady, who has been embroiled in a scandal and allegations of stock manipulation.

Immediately after the decree was issued, outrage, shock and confusion swept the country – and the world.

Late Tuesday evening, residents of the capital Seoul rushed to be with their family members while others gathered outside the parliament building, where police told some they could be arrested without a warrant.

Many protesters carried signs and flags calling for Yoon’s impeachment.

Some MPs appeared to clash with authorities outside the Parliament building. Television footage showed troops attempting to enter the main hall – although they began to withdraw several hours later as lawmakers blocked the decree.

The US expressed “great concern” after Yoon declared martial law and expressed relief after he revoked the decree – saying democracy was at the core of the US-South Korea alliance.

The two countries have a decades-old mutual defense treaty, meaning both countries must come to the other’s aid if they are ever attacked.

South Korea is home to major U.S. military installations, and nearly 30,000 American troops are stationed in the country.

The U.S. Army’s Camp Humphreys is the largest American military installation outside the United States, with a population of more than 41,000 U.S. soldiers, civilian workers, contractors and family members.

Along with Japan and the Philippines, which also have mutual defense treaties with the United States, South Korea is part of a trio of regional partners that have helped bolster American power in both Asia and the Pacific for decades.

Proponents argue that a significant U.S. troop presence on the Korean peninsula is critical to deter a possible attack by North Korea as Kim Jong Un’s regime continues to build its nuclear arsenal and to bolster the U.S. presence in the region to counteract China’s aggression.

North Korea has also become a key player in Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, sending troops to support Moscow’s forces, bringing an isolated Asian power into Europe’s biggest conflict since World War II.

A lot is still uncertain – including what will happen to the president and other top politicians.

According to the president’s office, Yoon’s chief of staff and more than 10 senior secretaries to the president have tendered their resignations.

The main opposition party said it would begin impeachment proceedings if Yoon did not resign immediately, calling his actions unconstitutional.

The head of Yoon’s own party has also called for the defense minister’s removal for recommending martial law.

South Korea’s largest umbrella union also said Wednesday that its members would go on an indefinite general strike until Yoon resigns.

There was still a heavy police presence in front of the parliament building on Wednesday morning. Yoon postponed his first public meeting that morning, Yonhap reported.

This is not the first time he has faced calls for impeachment – there have been regular protests calling for his resignation and a petition that received hundreds of thousands of signatures, Reuters reported.

Yes – especially given the country’s long, painful road to democracy after decades of authoritarian rule.

South Korea has been a vibrant democracy since the 1980s, with regular protests, freedom of expression, fair elections and peaceful transfers of power. The domestic political scene has long been turbulent, with presidents on both sides of the political divide often facing criminal prosecution both while in office and away.

Martial law is a foreign concept in the modern democratic era in which South Korea has become a major exporter and cultural powerhouse. This is thanks in part to the enormous global popularity of K-pop and K-drama.

But South Korea has a dark political past. During much of the Cold War, the country saw a succession of strong leaders and military rulers who imposed martial law on multiple occasions – sometimes in an attempt to stay in power despite growing public discontent.

Back then, protests could easily turn deadly if the military was deployed to crack down on those who pushed back.

The last time a South Korean president declared martial law was in 1980, during a nationwide uprising led by students and unions. It was not until 1988 that South Korea elected a president through free and direct elections.

That’s why protesters on Tuesday and Wednesday held signs and chanted slogans pledging never to return to dictatorial rule that remains fresh in many people’s memories.