South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol’s future is hanging in the balance after a chaotic night during which he dramatically declared martial law and then withdrew it just as suddenly, plunging the country into turmoil.

Around 10pm on December 3rd Yoon Suk Yeol, the conservative president of South Korea, suddenly declared martial law: banning all political parties and severely curbing media freedom. Soldiers were deployed to the parliament building and riot police lined the roads.

South Korea is in turmoil after president Yoon Suk Yeol declared martial law on Tuesday night, only to revoke it hours later under immense pressure. The decree, which marked the first attempt to impose such measures in over four decades, has sparked calls for his resignation and left the nation’s political landscape in disarray.