South Korea martial law crisis: What’s next for President Yoon?

South Korea’s President Yoon Suk-yeol called for martial law and then backed down. Here is what we know.

In a surprise late-night address on Tuesday, South Korea’s President Yoon Suk-yeol announced the imposition of martial law, citing a motion by the main opposition Democratic Party, which holds a parliamentary majority, to impeach top prosecutors and reject a government budget proposal.

But less than two hours after the martial law declaration, lawmakers forced their way past soldiers to vote to strike down his decree. Yoon accepted the reversal six hours later.

Here is what we know about the political impasse:

In an unscheduled televised address at about 11pm (14:00 GMT), Yoon declared martial law, accusing the Democratic Party of sympathising with North Korea and engaging in antistate activities.

His decree briefly handed control to the military, deploying troops and police to the National Assembly building, where helicopters were spotted landing on the roof.