South Korea’s president shocked the country on Tuesday evening when he out of the blue declared martial law in the Asian democracy for the first time in nearly 50 years.

Yoon Suk Yeol’s drastic decision, announced in a late-night television broadcast, mentioned “anti-state forces” and the threat from North Korea.

However, it soon became clear that this had been driven not by external threats but by his own desperate political problems.

Still, thousands of people gathered in parliament in protest, while opposition MPs stormed there to force an emergency vote to repeal the measure.

Defeated, Yoon reemerged a few hours later to accept Parliament’s vote to lift the martial law order.

Now MPs will vote on whether he should be removed from office for what the country’s main opposition calls his “seditious behavior”.

Yoon behaved like a president under siege, observers say.

In his address on Tuesday evening, he recounted the political opposition’s attempts to undermine his government before saying he was imposing martial law to “crush anti-state forces that have wreaked havoc.”

His decree temporarily put the military in charge – with helmeted troops and police deployed to the National Assembly building, where helicopters were seen landing on the roof.

Local media also showed scenes of masked, armed troops entering the building while staff tried to stop them with fire extinguishers.

At around 11:00 p.m. local time (14:00 GMT) on Tuesday, the military issued a decree banning protests and activities by parliament and political groups and placing the media under state control.

But South Korean politicians immediately called Yoon’s statement illegal and unconstitutional. The leader of his own party, the conservative People’s Power Party, also described Yoon’s actions as “the wrong step.”

Meanwhile, the leader of the country’s largest opposition party said Lee Jae-myung of the Liberal Democratic Party called on his lawmakers to meet in parliament and reject the declaration.

He also called on ordinary South Koreans to show up in front of Parliament in protest.

“Tanks, armored personnel carriers and soldiers with guns and knives will dominate the country… My fellow citizens, please come to the National Assembly.”

Thousands followed the call and gathered stormily in front of the now heavily guarded parliament. Demonstrators chanted: “No martial law!” and “Strike down dictatorship.”

Local media reports from the site showed some clashes between protesters and police outside the gates. But despite the military presence, tensions did not escalate into violence.

And the legislature was also able to bypass the barricades – even climbing over fences to get into the voting room.

Shortly after 1 a.m. Wednesday, South Korea’s parliament voted against the measure, with 190 of its 300 members present. President Yoon’s declaration of martial law was declared invalid.

Martial law is the temporary rule of military authorities in emergencies in which civilian authorities are deemed unable to act.

The last time it was declared in South Korea was in 1979, when the country’s then long-time military dictator, Park Chung-hee, was assassinated in a coup.

It has never been used since the country became a parliamentary democracy in 1987.

But on Tuesday, Yoon pulled that trigger, saying in a nationwide address that he was trying to save South Korea from “anti-state forces.”

Yoon, who has taken a much tougher stance on North Korea than his predecessors, described the political opposition as North Korea sympathizers – without providing any evidence.

Under martial law, additional powers are given to the military There is often a suspension of citizens’ civil rights as well as constitutional standards and protections.

Although the military announced restrictions on political activities and the media, protesters and politicians defied these orders. And there was no sign that the government would take control of the free media – Yonhap, the national broadcaster and other media outlets continued to report as usual.

Yoon was elected to office as a hardline conservative in May 2022 but has been a weak president since April, when the opposition won a landslide victory in the country’s general election.

Since then, his government has been unable to pass the bills it wanted, instead having to veto the bills it passed liberal opposition.

He also saw approval ratings fall – hovering around lows of 17%. – as he has been involved in several corruption scandals this year, including one The First Lady accepts a Dior bagand another about alleged stock manipulation.

Just last month He was forced to apologize on national televisionHe said he would set up an office to oversee the first lady’s duties. However, he rejected a wider investigation that had been demanded by opposition parties.

Then this week the opposition proposed cutting a key state budget bill – which cannot be vetoed.

At the same time, the opposition also sought impeachment proceedings against Cabinet members and several senior prosecutors – including the head of the government’s audit agency – for failing to investigate the first lady.

The opposition Democratic Party has launched impeachment proceedings against Yoon.

Parliament must vote on this by Saturday.

The impeachment process in South Korea is relatively straightforward. To be successful, it would need the support of more than two-thirds of the 300-member National Assembly – i.e. at least 200 votes.

Once impeachment is approved, a trial takes place before the Constitutional Court – a nine-member council that oversees South Korea’s branches of government.

If six members of the court vote to uphold the impeachment, the president will be removed from office.

If this happens, it would not be the first time a South Korean president has been indicted. In 2016, then-President Park Geun-hye was indicted after she was accused of helping a friend blackmail her.

In 2004, another president, Roh Moo-hyun, was impeached and suspended for two months. The Constitutional Court later reinstated him to office.

Yoons The hasty move stunned the country, which sees itself as a thriving, modern democracy that has made great progress since the days of its dictatorship.

Many see this week’s events as the greatest challenge to this democratic society in decades.

Experts say this may do more damage to South Korea’s reputation as a democracy than the Jan. 6 riots in the United States.

“Yoon’s declaration of martial law appeared to be both a legal overreach and a political miscalculation that needlessly endangered South Korea’s economy and security,” said one expert, Leif-Eric Easley of Ewha University in Seoul.

“He sounded like a politician under siege, taking a desperate step against mounting scandals, institutional gridlock and calls for impeachment that are now likely to intensify.”