South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol has announced he will soon lift the military rule he imposed after the nation's parliament voted to reject his martial law declaration.
Mr Yoon said on Wednesday his government had withdrawn military personnel that had been deployed, and that he would formally lift martial law after a cabinet meeting as "soon as members arrive".
Shortly after the update, it had been confirmed Mr Yoon's cabinet had agreed to lift martial law in the country, according to reports from Reuters.
In initially declaring martial law, the president vowed to eliminate "anti-state" forces in South Korea as he struggles against an opposition that controls the country's parliament and that he accuses of sympathising with communist North Korea.
Less than 3 hours later, parliament voted to lift the declaration, with National Assembly Speaker Woo Won Shik declaring the martial law was "invalid" and that politicians "will protect democracy with the people".
The martial law declaration late on Tuesday saw people descend on the National Assembly in protest, with police and soldiers struggling to control crowds outside.
Mr Yoon made the call in an unannounced address broadcast live on YTN television, citing the need to protect the country from "communist forces".
"To safeguard a liberal South Korea from the threats posed by North Korea's communist forces and to eliminate anti-state elements … I hereby declare emergency martial law," Mr Yoon said in the address to the nation.
"Through this martial law, I will rebuild and protect the free Republic of Korea, which is falling into the depths of national ruin.
"I will eliminate anti-state forces as quickly as possible and normalise the country."
Mr Yoon also asked the people to believe in him and tolerate "some inconveniences".
Yonhap news agency cited the military as saying activities by parliament and political parties would be banned during the imposition of martial law, and that media and publishers would be under the control of the command.
The military also said the country's striking doctors should return to work within 48 hours, Yonhap reported. Thousands of doctors have been striking for months over government plans to expand the number of students at medical schools.
All military units in the South, which remains technically at war with the nuclear-armed North, were ordered to strengthen their emergency alert and readiness postures, Yonhap reported.
Opposition demands president's impeachment
South Korea's main opposition party on Wednesday urged President Yoon Suk Yeol to resign immediately or face impeachment.
"President Yoon Suk Yeol's martial law declaration was a clear violation of the constitution. It didn't abide by any requirements to declare it," the liberal Democratic Party said in a statement.
"His martial law declaration was originally invalid and a grave violation of the constitution. It was a grave act of rebellion and provides perfect grounds for his impeachment."
Prior to the vote, opposition leader Lee Jae-myung said the president's move was "illegal and unconstitutional".
"Tanks, armoured personnel carriers, and soldiers with guns and knives will rule the country," Mr Lee said in a live-stream address.
"The economy of the Republic of Korea will collapse irretrievably … my fellow citizens, please come to the National Assembly," he said.
Mr Yoon did not make any immediate public response to the opposition's demand, but his office said senior presidential advisers and secretaries for the president offered to resign collectively and he had also put off his official Wednesday morning schedule.
Impeaching Mr Yoon would require support from two-thirds of the parliament, or 200 of its 300 members. The Democratic Party and other small opposition parties together have 192 seats.
When the parliament rejected his martial law declaration in a 190-0 vote, about 10 members of the ruling People Power Party cast ballots supporting the rejection, according to National Assembly officials.
If the president is impeached, he will be stripped of his constitutional powers until the Constitutional Court can rule on his fate.
Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, the number two position in the South Korean government, would take over his presidential responsibilities.
Late-night vote in spite of political ban
The National Assembly speaker, in an emergency statement released on his YouTube channel on Tuesday, called for all politicians to gather immediately at the assembly and urged military and law enforcement personnel to "remain calm and hold their positions".
TV footage showed police officers blocking the entrance of the National Assembly and soldiers carrying rifles in front of the National Assembly's main building.
An Associated Press photographer saw at least three helicopters, likely from the military, that landed inside the assembly grounds, while others circled above the site.
Despite the apparent ban on political activities, members of the National Assembly voted to lift the martial law declaration in an early morning emergency session.
All of the 190 members who were in attendance voted in favour of the motion.
Following the vote, soldiers and police were seen leaving the National Assembly compound, but opposition MPs said they would stay in the building until the martial law order was lifted by the president.
South Korean parliament 'haven for criminals', president says
President Yoon has accused South Korea's opposition of controlling the parliament, sympathising with North Korea and paralysing the government with anti-state activities.
He cited a motion by the country's opposition Democratic Party, which has a majority in parliament, this week to impeach some of the country's top prosecutors and its rejection of a government budget proposal.
The opposition slashed approximately 4.1 trillion won ($4.4 billion) from the government's proposed 677 trillion won budget plan, cutting the government's reserve fund and activity budgets for the president's office, the prosecution, police and the state audit agency.
"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," Mr Yoon said.
He said he had no choice but to resort to such a measure in order to safeguard free and constitutional order.
The leader of Mr Yoon's conservative People Power Party, Han Dong-hoon, was also critical of the president's call and vowed to "stop it with the people".
The Korean won was down sharply against the US dollar. A central bank official said it was preparing measures to stabilise the market if needed.
Finance Minister Choi Sang-mok has convened an emergency meeting among top economic officials, his spokesman said in a text message.
A spokesperson for the United States's national security council said US President Joe Biden's administration was in contact with the South Korean government and was monitoring the situation closely.
It was not immediately clear how Mr Yoon's call for martial law would affect the country's governance and democracy.
The president, whose approval rating has dropped in recent months, has struggled to implement his agenda against an opposition-controlled parliament since taking office in 2022.
Calls for independent investigations into scandals involving Mr Yoon's wife and some of his top officials have been dismissed by the president, drawing condemnation from his political rivals.
ABC/wires
