South Korea's president shocked the country on Tuesday night when, out of the blue, he declared martial law in the Asian democracy for the first time in nearly 50 years. Yoon Suk-yeol's drastic decision - announced in a late-night TV broadcast - mentioned "anti-state forces" and the threat from North Korea.

South Korea’s hard-line conservative president has declared martial law in a bid to “eliminate anti-state forces”—causing chaos outside parliament as lawmakers forced entry to block the motion. In a move more suited to his infamous adversary to the north,

Six South Korean opposition parties later submitted a bill to parliament to impeach President Yoon Suk Yeol, with voting set for Friday or Saturday.

The South Korean military says it will maintain martial law until it is lifted by President Yoon Suk Yeol, despite the nation's parliament voting to block its enforcement, according to the country's national broadcaster. It follows clashes between protesters and the security forces who tried to barricade the National Assembly.

Yoon Suk Yeol was a career prosecutor who made his first foray into politics when he became the People Power Party’s presidential candidate in 2021.

It may seem that the wild predawn scenes in Seoul, with hundreds of armed troops and frantic lawmakers storming South Korea's parliament building after the president suddenly declared martial law, cam