In the uncertain hours early Wednesday, many recalled the nation’s last martial law, which came after a coup installed a military dictator and triggered a deadly uprising.

Candle-lit vigils and rallies were held across South Korea on Wednesday, a nation outraged and frustrated by the president’s surprise declaration of martial law the night before called for his resignation.

I immediately thought of 1980, and the fear and desperation we felt,” said a 60-year-old lawmaker who lived through the massacre of protesters in Gwangju.

South Korea’s President Yoon Suk Yeol is facing parliamentary moves to impeach him after he sent heavily armed forces into Seoul’s streets with his baffling and sudden declaration of martial law that harkened to past dictatorships.

The president’s short-lived declaration of a military emergency late Tuesday was young South Koreans’ first exposure to a state of affairs their elders remember well.

The opposition-controlled parliament overturned the the martial law edict, and his rivals on Wednesday took steps to impeach him.

As if the resurgent political opposition were not enough of a problem, President Yoon has to face up to the hostility of leading members of his own

President Yoon Suk Yeol accepted the resignation of Kim Yong-hyun, who said he considered himself responsible for the short-lived decision to impose military rule.

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol has accepted the resignation of his Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun amid growing criticism over the leader’s short-lived declaration of martial law.

President Yoon reportedly said that he will lift martial law, hours after the country's parliament voted to veto the plan. Newsweek's live blog is closed.