When South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol declared martial law this week it was the first time a South Korean government took such a drastic measure since it became a fully functioning democracy more than 35 years ago.
But in the decades of largely autocratic governments and military rule from the end of World War II until the establishment of the Sixth Republic in 1988, martial law was not uncommon as the country faced political turmoil, uprisings, frequent protests and all-out war with North Korea.
