- South Korea's president, Yoon Suk-yeol, declared martial law late on Tuesday in a surprise announcement.
- It sparked a night of urgency in Seoul as lawmakers, troops, and protesters raced to parliament.
- Here's what unfolded over the crucial six hours that squashed Yoon's move.
South Korea's president, Yoon Suk-yeol, shocked the nation on Tuesday evening by declaring martial law.
The measure, voted down unanimously by parliament hours later, plunged Seoul into a night of confusion.
The National Assembly building became the epicenter of the early morning's dramatic events, as lawmakers raced to reverse Yoon's decision, military forces tried to enforce martial law, and thousands of residents arrived in protest.
Just before dawn, Yoon rescinded his declaration of martial law, returning rule to the civilian government.
Here's how Yoon's night of short-lived martial law transpired.
10:27 p.m. — Yoon declares martial law
Yoon, a conservative leader who narrowly won the 2022 election, announced his decision in an unannounced broadcast on live TV.
He accused opposition parties of trying to take parliament hostage, saying he was removing pro-North Korean forces in the country.
"I declare martial law to protect the free Republic of Korea from the threat of North Korean communist forces, to eradicate the despicable pro-North Korean anti-state forces that are plundering the freedom and happiness of our people, and to protect the free constitutional order," he said.
Yoon has been struggling to pass laws because his party's main rival, the Democratic Party, secured a majority in parliament during the legislative elections in April.
South Koreans react with confusion
In the entertainment district of Hongdae, 29-year-old Kim Hongmin was watching the news with his friends.
"It felt unreal. Martial law was something I had only studied as part of Korea's historical events, I never imagined I would actually experience it myself," Kim, a freelance English translator, told Business Insider.
The last time martial law was declared in South Korea was in 1980, when a military dictatorship took over.
10:45 p.m. — Parliament leaders denounce the decision
In an early blow to Yoon's declaration, the leader of his own party, Han Dong-hoon, quickly told local media that the move was "wrong."
"We will block it together with the people," Han said, per the Yonhap news agency.
Yonhap also reported that the opposition leader, Lee Jae-Myung, said Yoon had declared martial law "illegally and unconstitutionally against the people."
10:50 p.m. — Parliament mobilizes to stop Yoon
Both parties issued summons to their members, telling them to convene for an emergency vote.
Lee, who runs the Democratic Party, live-streamed himself on the way to the National Assembly, urging people to protest outside the building.
"Tanks, armored vehicles, and soldiers with guns and swords will rule this country," he said.
In Hongdae, Kim and his friends decided to heed the call to protest, driving to Yeouido, where the National Assembly is located.
"I didn't know what I could do, but I just felt that I had to be there," he told BI. Thousands of others would also make their way to the complex.
11 p.m. — Martial law takes effect
The race was on. Lawmakers were trying to vote quickly against Yoon's decision.
With martial law in action, troops would move to seize control of all political mechanisms.
Photos show that police began to set up a perimeter at the National Assembly building. Protesters started arriving.
The speaker of parliament, Woo Won-shik, said lawmakers would open a session as soon as enough of them were present to hold a vote — 150 assembly members.
11:15 p.m. — Lawmakers jump fences and walls to get inside
The politicians, including Woo, rushed to the National Assembly building. Some had to navigate barricades as protesters shouted for officers to let them through.
Kim, the translator, said that when he arrived, he filmed aides and journalists climbing over fences.
"It turned out that all entrances to the National Assembly were blocked by the police," he said.
Lee, the opposition leader who had been live-streaming his journey to the complex, ended his broadcast after hopping a fence and arriving at his office.
At about 11:40 p.m., veteran lawmaker Park Jie-won wrote on social media that over 100 opposition members had already gathered.
11:45 p.m. — Crowds assemble outside parliament premises
Protesters started to throng the streets outside the National Assembly complex.
"I began shouting: 'Abolish martial law!' It was the only thing I could do," Kim said. "Others joined in and were chanting the same."
Park Minjun, a 27-year-old graduate student who was present, told BI that there seemed to be no central leadership among the crowds.
Those who arrived first were party members and unionists, he said. Other civilians and families would join them in the cold, but only about an hour later.
Before midnight — News emerges that Yoon appointed his martial law commander
Meanwhile, South Korean media broke the news that Yoon had appointed Park An-soo, the army's chief of staff and a four-star general, as the commander overseeing martial law.
Park laid out a series of rules, including full state control of the press, the banning of worker strikes, and the prohibition of rallies.
Notably, he declared that any activities of the National Assembly would have to cease.
12 a.m. — Martial law forces reach the complex
As the National Assembly started to meet its quorum requirement, the first of the martial law forces arrived outside. Three helicopters unloaded armed teams with tactical gear.
Watching the troops pour out of their choppers, Kim recalled the last time martial law had been declared, when soldiers massacred protesters in the Gwangju uprising four decades ago.
"Would the tragic history of soldiers shooting civilians repeat itself?" he said.
A small crowd of protesters and aides had pushed into the complex and stationed themselves at the main entrance of the parliament building.
Scuffling with the arriving military teams, they stalled these forces from entering the main hall for some time.
12:30 a.m. — Troops clash inside the building
Eventually, the troops broke into the building via glass windows. But they were soon met by parliamentary aides, who had blocked corridors to the main voting hall with chairs and desks.
In one tense encounter, a civilian tried to drive back military forces by spraying a fire extinguisher.
Within the voting hall, politicians called for the count to start immediately, but Woo insisted they would follow procedure.
12:45 a.m. — Korean currency dives to its lowest in years
The Korean won began to plunge as soon as Yoon declared martial law and now had reached its weakest, at about 1,442 against the US dollar.
12:48 a.m. — Lawmakers vote to lift martial law
Led by Woo, the National Assembly officially began the vote on reversing martial law. At that time, 190 of the assembly's 300 members were present.
In less than a minute, every single person voted to rescind Yoon's declaration.
From the count, it's clear that those who voted to strike down Yoon's decision included more than just the opposition — which has 175 seats.
1 a.m. — Troops leave the building
Heckled by aides and protesters, the troops departed the building almost immediately after the measure passed.
Almost immediately after the vote, the won recovered to about 1,420 against the dollar, or about 1.4% weaker than Tuesday.
1:10 a.m. — Protesters linger
Kim said that as news of the successful vote reached the protesters, cheers broke out among the crowd.
"I was conflicted, but I saw hope," he said. He and some 4,000 other protesters, including Park, stayed outside out of fear martial law would still continue.
4:26 a.m. — Yoon relents
Six hours after his shock announcement, Yoon acceded to the National Assembly's vote and declared an end to martial law.
4:40 a.m. — Martial law is lifted and troops withdraw
Yoon's martial law was officially rescinded by an emergency Cabinet meeting, and dispatched forces returned to their bases.
With the threat of martial law receding, protesters like Kim and Park decided to return home.
8 a.m. — South Koreans wake up to an uncertain future
For many Seoul residents like Lee Tae-hoon, news of martial law — declared and then rescinded — arrived only in the morning.
Lee, a 28-year-old researcher at a university, said he relies on his friends to get his news and he woke up to texts about what transpired the night before.
"After today, I'll probably take voting more seriously," Lee told BI. He did not vote in the last election, which Yoon won.
Despite the reckoning the country just faced, Lee said life had moved on quickly. He received a text from his boss not to show up to work, but said he was on deadline for a project and clocked in anyway.
"It looks like everyone came to work as normal, seeing that the carpark was full," Lee said.
What happens next?
"It is not clear what Yoon was trying to achieve," said Ellen Kim, a senior fellow at the Korea Chair for the Center for Strategic and International Studies, with regard to Yoon's decision to implement martial law.
"He may have thought he did not have much choice to break the political paralysis of his government created by the opposition parties that hold a majority in the National Assembly," she told BI.
The president now faces motions of impeachment filed by the opposition. His party leader, Han, urged that the defense minister also be removed over reports that the latter suggested the idea of martial law to Yoon.
Several senior aides to the president have also resigned.
Kim, the CSIS fellow, said Seoul is already in a tenuous position internationally, with North Korea engaging in the Ukraine war and with Donald Trump soon taking the US presidency.
"The political vacuum created by Yoon's departure will create a huge political instability in South Korea," she said of the possibility that Yoon steps down.
Meanwhile, protesters like Kim, the translator, say they're not done. Kim is joining a protest at Gwanghwamun on Wednesday evening and Saturday to call for Yoon's impeachment. Counter-protesters have also taken to the streets to defend Yoon.
Seoul's younger generation, Kim said, has lived through tragedies like the Itaewon Halloween crowd crush, which sent Yoon's popularity plummeting.
"We share a collective sense of grief and urgency," he said.