On Wednesday, the country’s defence minister Kim Yong-hyun tendered his resignation and said he would take full responsibility for the martial law. He apologised to the public for spreading confusion and causing distress, the ministry said in a statement.

Yoon’s senior aides, including chief of staff Chung Jin-suk and national security adviser Shin Won-sik, also tendered their resignations.

Whether their resignations will be accepted by Yoon is unclear.

The reversal of the shock order early on Wednesday came after dramatic scenes overnight.

Hundreds of troops stormed the parliament after Yoon declared martial law, as military helicopters circled the site.

Some opposition lawmakers broke barricades and climb fences to get to the voting chamber. Woo Won-Shik, the speaker of the National Assembly, told BBC Korea he rushed to parliament thinking “we must protect democracy” and scaled the fence.

Eventually, 190 lawmakers evaded police lines and forced themselves inside to vote down the order.

Thousands of protesters also arrived at the gates of the National Assembly. One woman was captured on video grabbing a soldier’s gun.

“I was scared at first…but seeing such confrontation, I thought, ‘I can’t stay silent’,” Democratic Party spokeswoman Ahn Gwi-ryeong told the BBC.

Yoon’s second announcement – that he was reversing his earlier order – was met with cheers from protesters outside parliament.