What is happening in South Korea - and what is martial law?

There are protests successful South Korea aft the country's president Yoon Suk Yeol declared exigency martial law.

South Korean troops person been clashing with protesters extracurricular the nation's parliament gathering aft the country's main absorption leader, Lee Jae-myung, earlier called connected members of the nationalist to stitchery there.

Amid the chaotic scenes extracurricular parliament, MPs wrong person voted to artifact the president's declaration, with the talker saying the instrumentality is present invalid.

But what is martial law, wherefore did the president present it and wherefore are radical protesting?

What is martial law?

It enacts impermanent regularisation by the military, and is usually invoked successful times of war, rebellion oregon earthy disaster.

When martial instrumentality is successful effect, the subject commandant has unlimited authorization to marque and enforce laws.

It suspends each existing laws - meaning determination tin beryllium a suspension of mean civilian rights and the usage of subject instrumentality connected the civilian population.

The measurement is taken erstwhile the civilian authorities are deemed incapable to function.

The astonishment determination was the archetypal declaration of martial instrumentality since the country's democratisation successful 1987, and it is chartless however agelong it could beryllium successful spot for. It's erstwhile martial instrumentality was In October 1979.

Martial instrumentality is typically temporary, but it tin proceed indefinitely. It is astir often declared successful times of warfare and/or emergencies specified arsenic civilian unrest and earthy disasters.

Recent examples of martial instrumentality being enforced see successful Ukraine pursuing Russia's full-scale invasion.

Why did the president present it?

In his announcement connected Tuesday night, Yoon Suk Yeol said it was captious for defending the country's law order.

"I state martial instrumentality to support the escaped Republic of Korea from the menace of North Korean communist forces, to eradicate the despicable pro-North Korean anti-state forces that are plundering the state and happiness of our people, and to support the escaped law order," Mr Yoon said.

The determination comes aft 2 years of Mr Yoon struggling to propulsion his agendas done successful an opposition-controlled parliament.

His blimpish People Power Party has been successful a deadlock with the wide Democratic Party implicit adjacent year's fund bill.

Ministers protested against the determination connected Monday by the Democratic Party to slash much than 4 trillion won (approximately £2.1bn) from the government's fund proposal.

South Korea martial law: Follow unrecorded updates

Mr Yoon said that enactment undermines the indispensable functioning of authorities administration.

The president has besides dismissed calls for autarkic investigations into scandals involving his woman and apical officials, drafting disapproval from his governmental rivals.

Security and defence expert Professor Michael Clarke told Sky News helium believes the instauration of martial instrumentality is truthful Mr Yoon's effort to thwart his governmental opponents.

"Yoon has been starring a number authorities for immoderate time, against him the Democratic Party person conscionable frustrated immoderate helium has tried to do," Clarke said.

"He has decided to get up of his absorption by creating this move.

"The past happening that wide ideology needs astatine the infinitesimal is 1 of the democracies of Asia turning into a abbreviated word dictatorship, truthful I deliberation this is lone a abbreviated word parliamentary manoeuvre, but it whitethorn crook retired to beryllium more."

What has the absorption been?

Opposition person Lee Jae-myung has said the declaration of martial instrumentality was "unconstitutional" and called for the nationalist to protestation extracurricular parliament.

He said parliament, which is controlled by his party, would effort to nullify the martial law, but added helium feared the subject volition effort to apprehension MPs.

According to the instrumentality successful South Korea, the authorities indispensable assistance martial instrumentality if the bulk of the National Assembly demands it successful a vote.

Live TV footage from earlier contiguous showed South Korean parliament aides pushing backmost martial instrumentality forces, spraying occurrence extinguishers portion the nationalist and constabulary clashed.

Parliament has present voted to artifact the declaration, but it is unclear whether the president and subject unit volition abide by the decision.

Before the vote, the person of the president's ain People Power Party, Han Dong-hoon, vowed to defy him by saying the determination to enforce martial instrumentality was "wrong".

He pledged to "stop it with the people" and said the measurement was unconstitutional.