In the wee hours of the Wednesday morning Dec. 4 (KST, local time), South Korea’s President Yoon Suk Yeol withdrew his desperate declaration of martial law, made late Dec. 3. He had attempted to blame his political opponents of being “anti-state forces” and to claim martial law was necessary to defend against “the threat of North Korean communist forces.” He ordered the military to enforce his order.
Enough lawmakers ignored the military threat of arrest and managed to get around the security cordon stationed around the National Assembly to establish a quorum. About 1:00 a.m. KST this morning, they voted 190-0 to lift the martial law. After 4:00 a.m., Yoon ordered the withdrawal of the military forces.
