South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol 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 are now calling for resignations.

Under South Korean law, martial law can be lifted with a majority vote in the parliament, where the opposition Democratic Party holds a majority. When “the National Assembly requests the lifting of martial law, the President shall, without delay, do so and announce it,” the law states.

"I declare martial law to protect the free Republic of Korea from the threat of North Korean communist forces, to eradicate the despicable pro-North Korean anti-state forces that

Parliamentary aides in South Korea emptied fire extinguishers on armed troops entering the national assembly as protesters took to the streets.

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, struggling amid low approval ratings, accused the opposition-held parliament of blocking government actions.

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol has declared an “emergency martial law," accusing the country's opposition of controlling the parliament and paralyzing the government with anti-state activities

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol declared martial law on Tuesday as he accused the country's main opposition party of being overly sympathetic to North Korea and other "anti-state" activities. Opposition leaders called the move unconstitutional and vowed to fight back.