South Korea Martial Law Crisis
Yoon's declaration was the first martial law order in South Korea since the 1980 military dictatorship of Chun Doo-hwan, and was widely read as an attempt to eliminate political rivals rather than a genuine national security response -- a subsequent investigation found Yoon had plotted the move to sideline opponents. Troops and police who moved to block the National Assembly withdrew once lawmakers, some climbing fences to reach the chamber, voted 190-0 to nullify the order roughly two hours after its declaration, a rapid institutional response credited with averting a longer crisis. Yoon was ultimately convicted of leading an insurrection and sentenced to life imprisonment on February 19, 2026.
- Year: 2024 CE
- Category: Political
