Woongbee Lee
Editor, BBC Korean Service, reporting from Seoul

Image source, Getty Images

Even after President Yoon Suk-yeol lifted the declaration of martial law, protests continued outside the National Assembly in Seoul's Yeongdeungpo District.

Angry citizens filled the streets, chanting, "Arrest Yoon Suk Yeol".

But despite the previous night's headline-making events, there was also surprising normalcy in South Korea this morning.

Schools across the country opened as usual, with the Ministry of Education announcing late last night that all classes and activities would proceed as usual.

Government services, including at courts and district offices, are also operating without disruption, and banks remain open.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the United States had "watched closely" developments in South Korea over the past 24 hours, urging calm as pressure on Yoon continues to build.

"We continue to expect political disagreements to be resolved peacefully and in accordance with the rule of law," Blinken said in a statement.

Washington appears to have been blindsided by President Yoon's declaration of martial law, with the White House earlier saying it was "relieved" at its reversal.

President Yoon Suk Yeol's staff have offered to resign en masse following his short-lived decision to declare a state of martial law on Tuesday, according to Yonhap News.

President Yoon himself is yet to make a public appearance.

João da Silva
Business reporter

South Korea's Kospi index is down more than 1% in morning trading after the country's finance ministry said it stood ready to support financial markets.

The won has been recovering after overnight losses of more than 1% against the US dollar.

"All financial, FX markets as well as stock markets will operate normally," a goverment statement said.

"We will inject unlimited liquidity into stocks, bonds, short-term money market as well as forex market for the time being until they are fully normalised."

That announcement came after President Yoon Suk Yeol's move to lift a martial law declaration he imposed overnight.

Meanwhile, the Bank of Korea is also reportedly holding an unplanned meeting which was abruptly scheduled for this morning.

Elsewhere in the region markets were mixed. Japan’s Nikkei 225, external was trading 0.3% higher and Australia's ASX 200 was down 0.4%.

Yuna Ku
BBC Korean Service, reporting from Seoul

The entrance to South Korea’s National Assembly remains heavily guarded by police, and journalists must present identification to gain access.

The atmosphere is much calmer compared to the previous night’s chaos, though a small group of protesters continues to chant, “President Yoon should step down.”

Earlier, two elderly men attempted to force their way into the assembly, questioning why they were being denied entry, but they were immediately stopped by the police.

Inside the main building, lawmakers are condemning President Yoon to the journalists who have gathered here to keep an eye on today's events.

Image source, Reuters

Protests are starting in South Korea as the country wakes up hours after South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol lifted the martial law order.

They're demanding Yoon resigns for making the decision to briefly declare martial law.

Protesters are gathering in Seoul holding signs in near-freezing temperatures that are hovering around -1 degree Celsius.

President Yoon Suk Yeol's morning schedule for Wednesday has been cancelled, according to an official from his office.

Yoon had previously been due to preside over a meeting at 10:00 local time, but has now withdrawn from the event.

He is yet to make a public appearance since declaring martial law on Tuesday, and opposition lawmakers have signalled their intention to put forward a bill to potentially impeach him in the coming hours if he doesn't resign.

Image source, Getty Images

South Korea's main opposition party has called on President Yoon Suk Yeol to resign or face impeachment, following his decision to briefly declare martial law in the democratic nation.

"It was clearly revealed to the entire nation that President Yoon could no longer run the country normally. He should step down," Park Chan-dae, a senior member of the Democratic Party, said in a statement, according to Reuters.

As we reported earlier, a group of approximately 40 South Korean lawmakers could put forward a bill to impeach President Yoon Suk Yeol as soon as Wednesday, according to the Yonhap news agency.

One of South Korea's largest labour unions - the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU) - has called on its members to strike until President Yoon Suk Yeol resigns.

In a post on Facebook, the KCTU described Yoon's short-lived declaration of martial law as a "crime of insurrection", while calling on its more than 1 million members to gather in Seoul and other regional locations on Wednesday morning, to oppose the move.

"Yoon Suk-yeol has chosen the irrational and anti-democratic method of martial law to extend his political life as he has been driven to the edge," the group said in an earlier statement.

"The people will not forgive this. They remember the fate of regimes that declared martial law," it added.

Daniel Russel, an American diplomat, has told the BBC that North Korea is likely to take advantage of the political instability caused by President Yoon Suk Yeol's shock announcement of martial law.

Yoon had initially said the move was necessary to protect the country from North Korea's communist forces and to eliminate "anti-state elements".

Russel, the former Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs, said this claim had been "pretty far-fetched".

"But you can be awfully certain that now North Korea is in fact licking its chops that it’s going to take advantage of any and all political instability and turmoil in the south," he said.

He added that "political turbulence and more demonstrations" were to be expected in the country, as it "wrestles with either an impeachment or conceivably President Yoon stepping down".

President Yoon's declaration of martial law was a "legal overreach and a political miscalculation", according to Leif-Eric Easley, a professor of international studies at Ewha Womans University in Seoul.

Easley went on to say: "For South Korea’s domestic politics and international reputation, this may be more damaging than January 6th" - referencing when rioters smashed through barricades and ransacked the US Capitol in 2021 with the goal of stopping the certification of Joe Biden's presidential election.

"With extremely low public support and without strong backing within his own party and administration, the president should have known how difficult it would be to implement his late-night decree," Easley said of Yoon.

"He sounded like a politician under siege, making a desperate move against mounting scandals, institutional obstruction, and calls for impeachment, all of which are now likely to intensify.

"North Korea will probably take a wait-and-see approach toward these events, but it cannot be ruled out that Pyongyang will attempt to exploit divisions in Seoul."

Will Yoon stand down or be impeached?published at 22:47 Greenwich Mean Time 3 December

22:47 GMT 3 December

Laura Bicker
Reporting from outside the National Assembly in Seoul

The protesters are still here, they've been here all night.

Within the last few hours, President Yoon has accepted that his bid for military rule has been overturned. That news was greeted with cheers from protesters here.

They say that they will remain for now and we’ve heard that more gatherings could be planned across Seoul.

The next thing that we’ve heard is that there may be proceedings underway to try to impeach President Yoon if he doesn’t stand down.

This is a South Korean leader whose career is now on the brink. It’s difficult to see how he survives this and the other big question that many people are asking is why did he do this?

This is already a deeply unpopular president, this is somebody who couldn’t get anything through parliament. So you can see the frustration, but this was a very drastic move that was never likely to work.

As we've seen, it was democratically overthrown. He didn't have the votes in parliament. So when it comes to this kind of a drastic move it's difficult to see the logic behind it.

The next key question is: what happens next - will he stand down or will he be impeached?

If you're just joining us, there's a lot to catch up on for what has been a stunning night in South Korean politics. It's just ticked past 07.30 in Seoul, and we can expect a lot of political fallout to come in the hours ahead.

Let's take a look at where things stand:

• In a late-night TV address, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol declared martial law in the democratic nation, arguing that the move was needed to protect the country from North Korean elements and "anti-state forces"
• Less than two hours later, with 190 of its 300 members present, South Korea's parliament voted down the measure and ruled the martial law order invalid
• Soon after, President Yoon reversed course and announced that he would lift martial law
• Large demonstrations have taken place parliament, with many South Koreans expressing relief that the martial law announcement was taken back
• The US, a key strategic and defence partner for South Korea, says it was caught completely unaware by Yoon's announcement

READ MORE: Why South Korea's president suddenly declared martial law

The US embassy in Seoul has just put out an advisory, warning Americans that "the situation remains fluid" in South Korea even after martial law was lifted.

Americans should "anticipate potential disruptions," the embassy's statement says, adding: "When in public, you should pay attention to your surroundings and exercise routine safety precautions."

"You should avoid areas where demonstrations are taking place and exercise caution in the vicinity of any large crowds, gatherings, protests, or rallies. Even demonstrations intended to be peaceful can turn confrontational and escalate into violence."

It's approaching 07:30 in Seoul, and there are protests expected later this morning.

Max Matza
US reporter

A statement from the White House has just been released.

"We are relieved President Yoon has reversed course on his concerning declaration of martial law," a White House spokesman said.

"Democracy is at the foundation" of the US-South Korea alliance, the spokesman continued, adding: "We will continue to monitor the situation".

US officials, who appear to have been caught off-guard by the declaration, have been reacting to the developments on Tuesday.

There has been no change in the US military's force readiness in South Korea, the US Department of Defense spokesman said at an earlier news conference.

Major General Pat Ryder said "there have been no changes" to the US military posture in South Korea.

The roughly 27,000 US troops stationed there are not being confined to their bases, he said, according to the Associated Press news agency.

Meanwhile, a veteran US diplomat said the US's commitment to South Korea is "ironclad".

"And we stand by Korea in their time of uncertainty," US Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell said at a speaking event with Japan's ambassador to the US.

"I also want to just underscore that we have every hope and expectation that any political disputes will be resolved peacefully and in accordance with the rule of law," Campbell continued.

Bernd Debusmann Jr
Reporting from Washington

A group of approximately 40 South Korean lawmakers are planning to put forward a bill to impeach President Yoon Suk Yeol as soon as Wednesday, according to the Yonhap news agency.

Other lawmakers, including some in leadership positions, are reportedly calling on Yoon to step down immediately ahead of any impeachment proceedings.

Earlier, the BBC spoke to several lawmakers who expressed disbelief at the day's events.

Some, like opposition Democratic Party MP Hong Keewon, reported rushing to parliament and climbing over a wall to enter the building to vote against martial law.

Yoon Suk Yeol announced on Wednesday morning that he was lifting martial law in South Korea, hours after instating it.

It came after 190 lawmakers present in the National Assembly chamber in Seoul unanimously blocked the move.

South Korea's President said: "After the National Assembly's demand to lift martial law, martial law troops have been withdrawn.

"I will accept the National Assembly's demand and lift martial law through a cabinet meeting."

North Korea's president Kim Jong Un is witnessing his "chief enemy be weakened by this instability", national security expert Matthew Schmidt says.

"He will just be waiting to see how he can exploit it," Schmidt tells the BBC.

However, Schmidt, who is an associate professor at the University of New Haven in Connecticut, says if "South Korea comes through this crisis and establishes the primacy of law rather than a president then it becomes stronger because of it".

US state officials caught totally off guardpublished at 20:56 Greenwich Mean Time 3 December

20:56 GMT 3 December

Tom Bateman
State department correspondent

Officials in the US State Department were caught totally off guard by President Yoon’s martial law announcement.

It's hard to overstate the strategic importance of the alliance between Washington and Seoul - the US has nearly 30,000 troops in the country which it vows to defend from its nuclear armed neighbour in the north through a wide ranging set of defence agreements.

So for Seoul’s leadership to take such a drastic step without even telling Washington - as the State Department contends - is extraordinary.

The US says it had no advance warning Yoon would declare martial law.

It is not entirely clear whether Secretary of State Antony Blinken - currently in Brussels - was able to speak to his counterpart during the height of this crisis.

Now Yoon has said he will reverse his order I think Washington is wondering what an earth has happened - and will be rapidly reassessing how reliable the leadership of an ally it considers a bedrock of democratic stability in the region actually is.