A day after he declared — and then withdrew — martial law, President Yoon Suk Yeol was politically isolated as observers pondered his future in leadership.

Confusion, rumor and fear spread through South Korea in the early morning hours Wednesday after the sudden declaration of martial law by President Yoon Suk Yeol.

South Korean lawmakers filed a motion to impeach President Yoon Suk Yeol a day after he declared martial law, upending political stability for a close U.S. ally. The National Assembly will vote on the motion by Saturday.

A dramatic move by South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol to impose martial law and his reversal hours later has immediately raised questions about the future of the deeply unpopular leader. Yoon has already faced calls from opposition politicians to stand down and he could be impeached by parliament if he doesn’t do so.

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol on Wednesday was facing mounting legislative and public pressure to leave office or be forced out, hours after he ended a short-lived martial law that prompted troops to encircle parliament before lawmakers voted to lift it.

A conservative, Mr. Yoon won the presidency in 2022 by a slim margin, promising a more confrontational stance against North Korea. He quickly became unpopular and divisive at home.

Police stand guard at the gate of the National Assembly after South Korea's president declared martial law South Korea's president shocked the country on Tuesday night when, out of the blue, he declared martial law in the Asian democracy for the first time in nearly 50 years.