After lawmakers reject move, South Korean president ends martial law.

After lawmakers rejected his move to impose martial law, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol lifted the declaration, following his vow to eliminate "anti-state" forces in a serious challenge to the country's Parliament, which he accused of sympathizing with North Korea.

The speaker of Parliament and Han Dong-hoon, the leader of Yoon's own party, vocally opposed the Tuesday night declaration, according to Reuters.

Following Yoon's announcement, a crowd formed outside the Parliament building, with some individuals chanting "Lift emergency martial law!" and engaging in physical confrontations with soldiers. According to South Korean law, the president is obligated to withdraw martial law if the Parliament approves it with a majority vote.

The vote to lift martial law was supported by all 190 lawmakers present. TV footage showed soldiers leaving Parliament following the vote.

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin is closely monitoring the situation and keeping in touch with U.S. forces and their South Korean counterparts, according to Pentagon Press Secretary Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder.

The government of the United States is in touch with the Republic of Korea, according to Ryder.

The 28,500 U.S. service members in the country were not informed of any changes to their force posture.

Yoon stated in an unannounced address on YTN that he had no choice but to take drastic measures to safeguard South Korean freedoms and the constitutional order. He claimed that opposition parties have seized control of the parliamentary process and plunged the country into a crisis.

"To safeguard the sovereign Republic of Korea from the danger of communist forces from the north, to eliminate the loathsome pro-North Korean anti-state elements that are undermining the liberty and contentment of our citizens, and to uphold the constitutional system," he declared.

He stated that martial law would aid in "rebuilding and safeguarding" the nation from "plummeting into the abyss of national devastation."

Yoon's surprising move evoked memories of an authoritarian era not witnessed since the 1980s.

Since Yoon became president in 2022, the liberal Democratic Party has controlled South Korea's single-chamber National Assembly. Despite this, opposition parties have repeatedly blocked Yoon's agenda, resulting in low approval ratings for the president.

This report was contributed to by Chris Pandolfo of Planet Chronicle Digital, as well as the Associated Press and Reuters.