At 10:30 PM on Tuesday, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol declared emergency martial law, but the National Assembly voted to lift it just two and a half hours later. The political situation escalated into chaos as martial law forces entered the National Assembly building.
The National Assembly convened an emergency plenary session at 1:00 AM on Wednesday. They passed a resolution to lift the martial law following Article 77, Section 5 of the Constitution, which mandates that the President must lift martial law when a majority of members present vote in favor. The resolution garnered support from 190 lawmakers.
During a press briefing at 10:30 PM the previous night, Yoon stated, “To protect the Republic of Korea from the threat of North Korean communist forces and to eradicate the anti-state elements that undermine our people’s freedom and happiness, I am declaring a state of emergency martial law to protect the constitutional order.”
Although martial law troops were withdrawn from the National Assembly following the resolution’s passage, the emergency martial law has not yet been officially lifted.
