South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol will lift a shock martial law declaration he had imposed just hours before, backing down in a standoff with parliament which roundly rejected his attempt to ban political activity and censor the media.
Yoon announced the declaration in a televised address late on Tuesday night (local time) to thwart "anti-state forces", with 190 MPs gathering in the early hours of Wednesday to block it.
Under South Korean law, the president must immediately lift martial law if parliament demands it by a majority vote. His own party urged him to lift the decree.
The National Assembly was sealed late on Tuesday night, and helicopters were seen landing on the roof.
Troops briefly tried to enter the parliament building. Parliamentary aides were seen trying to push the soldiers back by spraying fire extinguishers.
National Assembly staff sprayed fire extinguishers to block soldiers from entering the building's main hall. Source: AAP / Jo Da-un/AP
Hundreds of protesters gathered outside parliament chanting "arrest Yoon Suk Yeol" and faced off with security forces guarding parliament.
After the parliament voted to lift martial law, the National Assembly Speaker Woo Won Shik declared that MPs would "protect democracy with the people" and called for police and military personnel to withdraw from the Assembly's grounds.
Following the parliamentary vote, Yoon agreed to lift martial law and said that command forces had withdrawn, adding that a cabinet meeting would be held as soon as possible.
What is martial law?
Martial law is the temporary introduction of military authority to an area.
South Korea's Constitution says its president can declare martial law when it's considered necessary to cope with a military threat or maintain public safety.
South Korean Police stand guard at the National Assembly as hundreds of protesters gather outside. Credit: Chung Sung-Jun / Getty Images
When martial law is declared in South Korea, the martial law commander, appointed by the president, has authority over all administrative and judicial matters.
They have the power to take actions related to arrests of persons, search and seizure, speech and the press, and assembly.
After Yoon declared martial law, army chief General Park An-su took charge as martial law commander and immediately issued a decree banning "all political activities".
The imposition of emergency martial law came after Yoon's approval rating dropped to 19 per cent in a poll last week. Credit: Chung Sung-Jun / Getty Images
The decree also targeted the media and publishers, banning "actions that deny or seek to overthrow the liberal democratic system, including the spread of fake news, public opinion manipulation, and false propaganda".
The president must notify the National Assembly of the decision when declaring martial law, and it must be reviewed by the cabinet.
Why did Yoon Suk Yeol declare martial law?
Yoon gave a range of reasons to justify his announcement — South Korea's first declaration of martial law in more than 40 years.
"To safeguard a liberal South Korea from the threats posed by North Korea's communist forces and to eliminate anti-state elements plundering people's freedom and happiness, I hereby declare emergency martial law," Yoon said during his live televised address to the nation.
Yoon did not cite any specific threat from the North, instead focusing on his domestic political opponents, but the South remains technically at war with nuclear-armed Pyongyang.
"Our National Assembly has become a haven for criminals, a den of legislative dictatorship that seeks to paralyse the judicial and administrative systems and overturn our liberal democratic order," Yoon said.
The president labelled the opposition, which holds a majority in the 300-member parliament, as "anti-state forces intent on overthrowing the regime".
Yoon described the imposition of martial law as "inevitable to guarantee the continuity of a liberal South Korea", adding that it would not impact the country's foreign policy.
He described the current situation as South Korea "on the verge of collapse, with the National Assembly acting as a monster intent on bringing down liberal democracy".
Yoon Suk Yeol declared martial law on Tuesday night. Source: AAP, AP / AP
South Korea is a major ally for the United States in Asia, and the US State Department said it had "grave concern" about the situation.
China, a key ally of North Korea, urged its nationals in the South to stay calm and exercise caution, while Britain said it was "closely monitoring developments".
What led to this point?
Yoon, a career prosecutor, squeezed out a victory in the tightest presidential election in South Korean history in 2022.
He rode a wave of discontent over economic policy, scandals and gender wars, aiming to reshape the political future of Asia's fourth-largest economy.
But he has been unpopular, with his support ratings hovering at around 20 per cent for months.
His People Power Party suffered a landslide defeat at a parliamentary election in April this year, ceding control of the unicameral assembly to opposition parties that captured nearly two-thirds of the seats.
Yoon's People Power Party and the main opposition Democratic Party are bitterly at odds over next year's budget.
Opposition MPs approved a significantly downsized budget plan through a parliamentary committee last week.
The opposition has slashed approximately 4.1 trillion won ($4.45 billion) from Yoon's proposed 677 trillion won budget plan, cutting the government's reserve fund and activity budgets for Yoon's office, the prosecution, police and the state audit agency.
In his address on Tuesday night, Yoon also cited a motion by the Democratic Party this week to impeach some of the country's top prosecutors.
