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Today, the aftermath of a wild six hours in South Korean politics.

From crisis to celebration in a matter of hours, South Koreans poured onto the streets after President Yun Songyar backed down, reversing his decision to impose martial law.

First martial law was called, then it was called off. What's next for South Korea and its president, Yunsookyul.

I'm Malika Bilal, and this is The Take.

Hi, my name is Seun Kou. I'm a journalist and founder of Korea Expoise, a media startup based in Seoul, South Korea.

Welcome to the take, Seung. A lot has happened in South Korea.

President Yun Sukhail has declared martial law. He made the unexpected announcement in a late-night television address.

But shortly after, members of parliament, including some from his own party, voted to block

that move.

So effectively, nothing has changed and everything has changed.

Walk me through the political whiplash of the six-hour period between Yun

declaring martial law and then calling it off.

I guess a whiplash is a good way to put it.

Yeah, I mean, first of all, the fact that we're hearing this phrase martial law in the context of Korea is bizarre enough.

And I'm sure that you've heard people describe it purely as stunning.

The sense of shock also for me is something that is very difficult to describe.

The last time martial law was imposed in Korea was about 45 years ago.

And Korea, of course, transitioned to full electoral

democracy in 1987. And just like you and everybody else, I believe this is a stable democracy.

We have rule of law. We have institutions that safeguard our rights. And then then bam, this happens.

Dear citizens, I hereby declare an emergency meeting

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