The South Korean president declares martial law and riots begin

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol announced on Wednesday that he would act to revoke the martial law declaration he had issued just hours earlier, following a parliamentary vote opposing the measure.

Yoon had imposed martial law on Tuesday, citing the need to counter "anti-state forces" among his political opponents. However, the decision faced fierce backlash, with lawmakers voting to reject the decree while massive protests erupted outside the parliament, marking the nation's most significant political crisis in decades.