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President Yoon Suk Yeol declared emergency martial law in a dramatic, late-night television address to the nation on Tuesday, citing "threats" from North Korea and slamming the main opposition party in South Korea. It was the first time since 1980 that it had been declared in the East Asian country.
In the address to the nation, President Yoon said, "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."
He also attacked the main opposition Democratic Party, which holds a majority in the 300-member parliament, accusing it of "paralysing" governance solely for the "sake of impeachments, special investigations, and shielding their leader from justice".
President Yoon, however, withdrew martial law within six hours of announcing it. "Just a moment ago, there was a demand from the National Assembly to lift the state of emergency, and we have withdrawn the military that was deployed for martial law operations," he said in a televised address.
The Democratic Party demanded that 63-year-old Yoon - who was elected president in 2022 - step down immediately over the attempted "insurrection". The party also said it would initiate impeachment proceedings against him unless he resigned "immediately".
South Korea's main labour union group also called an "indefinite general strike" until he resigned over the "irrational and anti-democratic measure".
Yoon's People Power Party, which suffered a landslide defeat at a parliamentary election in April this year, giving control of the unicameral assembly to opposition parties that captured nearly two-thirds of the seats, called his attempt "tragic" and demanded that those involved be held accountable.
The United States, which stations nearly 30,000 troops in South Korea to protect it from the nuclear-armed North, initially said it was watching events with "grave concern" and then said that it was "relieved" that President Yoon has reversed his "concerning" declaration of martial law.
China, a key ally of North Korea, urged its citizens to exercise caution. Russia, which is also close to Pyongyang, called the situation "alarming".
The imposition of martial law came after Yoon's approval rating dropped recently, with many expressing dissatisfaction over his handling of the economy and controversies involving his wife, Kim Keon Hee.