South Korea is in a state of upheaval and its president may soon be impeached if he does not resign.
In a dramatic turn of events, Yoon Suk Yeol suddenly announced the military were taking over the country late on Tuesday night – only for the new rule to be overturned within two hours by South Korea’s parliament.
Yoon is now facing pressure to quit, as workers go on strike and lawmakers accuse him of abusing his power.
Here’s what you need to know.
Emergency martial law suddenly imposed
In an unexpected late night TV address, the president announced he had no choice but to impose martial law.
Usually a temporary measure, martial law is when military authorities take over and normal civil rights can be suspended.
The president wanted anyone who violated his martial law to be arrested, and all media and publishers to be put under state control.
Yoon claimed he was doing this to protect South Korea from North Korea’s communist forces.
Legally, he is the only person who can lift martial law.
Martial law has not been in place in South Korea since 1979, when its dictator Park Chung Hee was assassinated.
It’s also the first time such a measure has been invoked since the country became a parliamentary democracy in 1987.
Why did the president impose marital law?
On the surface, Yoon’s move seems completely bewildering, considering there was no sudden heightening of an external threat to South Korea.
But Yoon’s two-year premiership has been pretty unpopular and blighted with scandals.
His wife accepted a luxury Dior handbag last year, which went against South Korea’s corruption rules. Yoon had to apologise for her behaviour just last month.
He has also been struggling to get anything passed in parliament, after April’s general election saw the opposition party gain a majority – meaning he had essentially become a lame duck.
How did the country react?
The news was immediately met with an angry backlash and the leader of the South Korean opposition Democratic Party, Lee Jae-myung – who only lost the presidential election by a record low of 0.7% of the vote – said it was unconstitutional.
Police soon clashed with protesters and demonstrators chanted “no to martial law” outside parliament.
National Assembly members quickly ran to parliament, and had to break in as the military had blocked its access.
Less than two hours after Yoon’s announcement, the lawmakers who had gathered inside the assembly (190 out of 300 in total) voted to lift martial law.
Yoon soon said he would lift martial law and troops withdrew from parliament.
What happens now?
Around 40 lawmakers suggested Yoon should be impeached on Wednesday, while others have suggested he step down while he can.
The Korean Confederation of Trade Unions – which has more than a million members - has suggested going on strike until he resigns, calling his imposition of martial law a “crime of insurrection”.
In a statement, they said: “The people will not forgive this. They remember the fate of regimes that declared martial law.”
Yoon’s own party has also been discussing his impeachment.
His defence minister has also offered to resign after Yoon’s other presidential staff quit en masse.
As of Wednesday evening South Korean time, Yoon himself is yet to appear or speak publicly.
How does an impeachment work?
The opposition party have already tabled a motion for his impeachment. The speaker of the assembly now has to open a session for the motion to be debated.
To impeach someone in South Korea, two-thirds of the 300-member National Assembly have to back the motion.
A trial is then held in the Constitutional Court and a nine-member council – oversees South Korea’s branches of government – decides whether to go ahead with the impeachment.
Six of those nine members need to vote in favour for the impeachment to be sustained, and an election has to be held within the next 60 days.
But if the council does not approve, it does not happen.
What about the rest of the world?
North Korea has said nothing yet, although instability in South Korea works to Pjongjang’s advantage due to the high tensions between the neighbouring nations.
The US was particularly shocked by the turn of events in South Korea, considering the close alliance between the nations.
There are nearly 30,000 American troops stationed in South Korea and the US has promised to protect it from its nuclear arms neighbour.
But it received no warning that the martial law was being imposed – and the White House said it was “relieved” when it was reversed.
US secretary of state Antony Blinken also said Washington would expect “political disagreements to be resolved peacefully and in accordance with the rule of law.”
Meanwhile, Nato general secretary Mark Rutte said relationship with South Korea is key, our relationship is ironclad... that will not change”.
He added that Nato is monitoring the situation “step by step”.
South Korea is not a member of Nato, but is a major ally of western nations.