Martial law reversed in South Korea

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol’s cabinet has reversed a martial law order in the country, just hours after he issued the surprise decree that plunged Seoul into political uncertainty and sparked fierce backlash from lawmakers across the political spectrum, reports CNN.

The cabinet decision came after Yoon backtracked on his shortlived decree in the early hours of Wednesday local time and withdrew the troops deployed to carry out the order.

South Korean lawmakers – who had scrambled earlier in the night to block the martial law order with a parliamentary vote – are now calling for resignations.

The opposition Democratic Party says it will begin impeachment proceedings against Yoon if he doesn’t step down immediately. “We will not sit idly by and watch President Yoon’s crime of destroying the Constitution and trampling on democracy,” the party said. “President Yoon should immediately resign voluntarily.” While the leader of Yoon’s ruling People’s Power Party, Han Dong-hoon, apologized to the public in a statement to reporters Wednesday morning, and called for the country’s defense minister to be fired.

“The president must directly and thoroughly explain this tragic situation,” he added. “The minister of defense, who recommended this martial law, should be immediately dismissed, and all those responsible must be held strictly accountable.”

The last time a South Korean president declared martial law was in 1980, during a nationwide uprising led by students and labor unions.

Yoon had declared martial law in a surprise late-night address on Tuesday, reviving memories of a more painful, authoritarian past as troops attempted to enter the main hall of the National Assembly and people against the measure gathered outside following his announcement.

The president accused the main opposition party of sympathizing with North Korea and of anti-state activities, citing a motion by the opposition Democratic Party, which has a majority in parliament, to impeach top prosecutors and reject a government budget proposal.

Lawmakers worked swiftly to block the martial law decree in the hours after Yoon’s declaration, with 190 of the 300 members of parliament voting to overturn the measure._Agencies.