South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol declared nationwide emergency martial law in a late-night livestreamed address on Tuesday at around 10:25 p.m., citing threats from “anti-state forces” attempting to subvert the government. He also accused the opposition Democratic Party (DP) of “paralyzing” governance, pointing to its push to cut the 2025 budget.

Around an hour later, Army Chief of Staff General Park An-su, whom Yoon appointed as the martial law commander, announced that Martial Law Decree No. 1 had taken effect as of 11 p.m.

The decree banned “all political activities,” including National Assembly meetings, imposed control over the press, outlawed