South Korea martial law: the six hours and what followed

President Yoon Suk Yeol declared emergency martial law in a televised address shortly after 10.20 p.m. on 3 December 2024. The National Assembly voted to lift it 190 to 0 at 1.02 a.m., and he announced its withdrawal at 4.27 a.m., about six hours after declaring it. He was impeached, removed from office in April 2025, and sentenced to life for insurrection in February 2026, a ruling now under appeal.

Why Yoon declared martial law: the reasons he gave

In the address Yoon said he was acting to protect the country from North Korea’s communist forces and to root out what he called pro-North, anti-state forces. He pointed to the opposition-controlled National Assembly, which he said had filed 22 impeachment motions against government officials, and to cuts it had made to the budget. He called the decree unavoidable for the continuity of the Republic.

The night itself

Troops were sent to the National Assembly. Lawmakers reached the chamber during the night, some by climbing its fences, and every one of the 190 present voted to revoke the decree. Yoon’s withdrawal came about three and a half hours after that vote.

The impeachment

A first motion failed on 7 December 2024 when ruling party lawmakers boycotted the vote and it fell short of the 200 members needed. A second motion passed on 14 December 2024 by 204 votes to 85, suspending Yoon from office.

On 4 April 2025 the Constitutional Court unanimously upheld the impeachment, and he was removed from office at once. Acting Chief Justice Moon Hyung-bae said he had mobilised military and police forces to dismantle the authority of constitutional institutions, conduct the court found could not be tolerated under the constitution.

Who governs now

Lee Jae-myung won the snap presidential election on 3 June 2025. His term as the twenty-first president began at 6.21 a.m. on 4 June, when the National Election Commission confirmed the result, and he took the oath at the National Assembly later that day.

The criminal cases

On 16 January 2026 the Seoul Central District Court sentenced Yoon to five years for obstructing his own arrest, bypassing cabinet deliberation on the decree and related charges. The Seoul High Court raised that to seven years on 29 April, and the Supreme Court upheld it on 9 July 2026. It is the first of his convictions to become final.

On 19 February 2026 the same district court convicted him of leading an insurrection and sentenced him to life imprisonment. Presiding judge Ji Gwi-yeon found he had acted to subvert the Constitution by sending the military to the National Assembly. Former defence minister Kim Yong-hyun received thirty years and former Defence Intelligence Command chief Noh Sang-won eighteen. Yoon’s lawyers appealed on 24 February, and the Seoul High Court held its first formal appeal hearing on 14 May 2026. It had not ruled by September 2026.

On 12 June 2026 the district court sentenced him to a further thirty years for abuse of power and aiding the enemy, finding that he had conspired in the drone flights over Pyongyang in October 2024. He can appeal that ruling.

Martial law and its aftermath at a glance

Questions people ask

How long did South Korea’s martial law last? About six hours.

How could the National Assembly overturn it? The constitution requires the president to lift martial law when a majority of the Assembly’s members demand it. The 190 votes cast on 4 December were more than half of its 300 seats.

Is Yoon Suk Yeol’s life sentence final? No. It is a first-instance ruling and the appeal is still before the Seoul High Court. The seven-year sentence in the arrest case is final.

Who is South Korea’s president now? Lee Jae-myung, in office since 4 June 2025.