Millions of South Koreans today, December 4, are waking to the news that martial law was declared and then cancelled while they were asleep.

In a bizarre turn of events on the Southern half of the Korean peninsula, late on the evening of December 3, President Yoon Suk Yeol went on national TV and declared the country to be in a state of martial law.

At the time details were hazy and little was known about his motivation for making the announcement bar for claims that it was in order to protect the country from North Korean forces and what has since been termed “anti-state forces.”

News wires around the world went to work and South Korea’s first declaration of martial law in over 40 years made headlines globally within an hour. Then, almost as quickly as it started, the initial fracas was starting to wind down.

Local South Korean news agency Yonhap late on December 3 and into the early hours of December 4 revealed that politicians in both the ruling People Power Party (PPP) and the main opposition Democratic Party were intent on quashing the president’s efforts to put South Korea under military control.

They did so within two hours of the first declaration when 190 of 300 South Korean lawmakers gathered in an overnight sitting at the National Assembly to vote 190-0 for a lifting of the state of martial law.

Legally the lifting of a state of martial law in South Korea still needs the approval of the president.

This came soon afterwards and has been followed by large demonstrations near the nation’s government building. These demonstrations are expected to continue throughout the day.

What next?

The question being asked all over Seoul and in cities across the nation of 52mn on the morning of December 4 is why, but also and perhaps more importantly, what next?

No obvious indications of threat have been forthcoming from across the border in North Korea in recent days and a prominent Pyongyang-watcher contacted by bno IntelliNews is just as baffled as everyone else as to what took place in the past few hours.

Some North Korea analysts are, however, now predicting possible moves by the North to take advantage of what will be perceived as political unrest of sorts south of the border.

Neighbouring China, Japan and Taiwan to the west, east and south respectively, have all sat watching events unfold overnight no doubt equally bemused. Across the Pacific too in Washington DC, the outgoing Biden government was also caught unaware.

Back in Seoul President Yoon will now face the immediate wrath of his political friends and foes in the coming hours, with around 40 lawmakers predicted to initiate impeachment proceedings early in the morning of December 4. This number is expected to rise as the day progresses.

There have also been calls for an immediate resignation according to sources in Korea.

This is a developing story and will be updated as events in South Korea unfold.