South Korea: the six-hour martial law decree that tried to put the press under military control

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol declared martial law on the night of 3 December 2024. The first decree issued by the martial law command banned political activity and stated that “all media and publications” were placed under its control.

Hours later, lawmakers managed to enter the National Assembly — some scaling fences — and unanimously voted, with 190 members present, to overturn the measure. Yoon lifted it in the early morning, about six hours after announcing it. Parliament later approved his impeachment, which the Constitutional Court confirmed in April 2025.

Live coverage by journalists and citizens, broadcast nationwide as soldiers surrounded parliament, was decisive in bringing the public out to defend the institution. The episode was a reminder that controlling information is always one of the first targets of any breakdown of constitutional order.

Sources: National Assembly of the Republic of Korea; RSF.