President Yoon's three hours of chaos: what was South Korea leader thinking?

Yoon Suk Yeol's late-night declaration and then reversal of martial law in South Korea came as a surprise to everyone, even some in his own administration.

The president blamed pro-North Korean sympathisers and anti-state activities inside opposition parties for the decision to hand emergency rule to the military on Tuesday night, in a move that instigated nationwide anxiety and confusion. Already "deeply unpopular and under growing pressure", Yoon's use of the "nuclear option" to try and save his presidency will almost certainly see him forced to resign, if not face more severe consequences, said the BBC.

What did the commentators say?

Yoon's move was an "act of desperation", one of a "boxed-in" president who is "isolated and impulsive", said Christian Davies and Song Jung-a in the Financial Times. Since narrowly taking office in 2022, he has faced mounting problems, including a "slowing economy, historically low approval ratings and an opposition-controlled parliament" and alleged corruption scandals involving his wife.

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His declaration of martial law was an apparent attempt to "rally rightwing political forces behind him", but that has "backfired spectacularly" and he is now "more politically and legally exposed than ever".

However, despite the political difficulties Yoon was facing, the move may not entirely have been out of desperation but one "of anger", suggested Myunghee Lee on The Conversation. Having already been in an "incredibly weak position", the president must have known that "calls for impeachment" may be "intensified by his actions" if he declared martial law.

He may have "calculated politically" that it could see him "gain support from his core base", but now his "autocratic" and "authoritarian tendencies" are "amped up for the world to see".

There were "some clues" in Yoon's speech as to "what he was thinking", and he was clearly "frustrated" with the assembly, which has recently slashed the government budget and left him a "lame duck" president, said Laura Bicker at the BBC. He called the assembly a "den of criminals" and a "monster that destroys the liberal democratic system", but it is clear he "misread his country and its politics" when deciding to declare martial law, said Bicker.

Yoon has not been seen since dramatically reversing his decision just hours later. On Wednesday, his "staff offered to resign en masse", while more "protests erupted", said Al Jazeera. A motion has been filed to introduce an impeachment bill, but while some members of the president's own party "also strongly opposed his martial law declaration" it is "unclear" how many of them will side with the opposition in voting to impeach him.

What next?

The "sordid episode" is one that "speaks volumes about the state of South Korean democracy" and the political system is now facing an "enormous stress test", said The Economist. Yoon's "extreme measure" also "points to a deeper malaise" and a political landscape where "polarisation has become deeply entrenched" and opponents view "each other as mortal enemies".

South Korea has been a democratic republic only since ousting its last de facto dictator Chun-Doo-hwan in 1987, but its system is clouded by "misbehaviour by political leaders" and "aggressive criminal prosecutions of them" which have become "all too common". There is little expectation that Yoon can continue as president after the "latest fiasco", but it perhaps presents an "opportunity for the country to reflect and regroup", or it could simply "fuel further division and enmity".