President Yoon Suk Yeol on the early morning of Dec. 4 announces the lifting of martial law in an emergency speech to the nation at the Office of the President in Seoul. (Yonhap News)

By Yoo Yeon Gyeong

President Yoon Suk Yeol on Dec. 4 accepted the National Assembly's request to lift martial law.

This came six hours after he declared martial law at 10:25 p.m. the previous day to "root out anti-state forces" in an emergency speech to the nation. The legislature had passed a bill four hours earlier on the lifting.

"As of 11 p.m. last night, I declared martial law with a firm intent to save the nation in response to anti-state forces that are trying to paralyze the country's basic functions and destroy the constitutional order of liberal democracy," President Yoon said in an emergency speech on Nov. 4 at 4:27 a.m. 

"However, I withdrew the troops mobilized for martial law duty due to the National Assembly's request to lift martial law."

President Yoon also condemned the opposition party's attempts to get next year's budget bill approved and impeach government officials.

The Joint Chiefs of Staff said forces deployed for martial law duty had returned to their units as of 4:22 a.m. that day, adding, "We have seen no unusual moves in North Korea and our alert posture toward the North remains unchanged."

Earlier around 1 a.m., the National Assembly unanimously passed a resolution on the lifting of martial law, with 190 representatives attending.

Paragraph 5 of Article 77 of the Constitution stipulates that the president must lift martial law if the National Assembly requests it through a parliamentary majority.

dusrud21@korea.kr