A man picks up an extra edition of a local newspaper covering President Yook Suk Yeol's declaration of martial law and its subsequent lifting by the National Assembly, at Gwanghwamun Station in Seoul, Wednesday. Newsis

The brief declaration of martial law by President Yook Suk Yeol late Tuesday night marks Korea's first in 45 years and the 17th instance since the government was established in 1948.

Although evidence suggests that martial law was considered by several administrations after the country's democratization, no president invoked it again — until Yoon. This restraint was largely due to the 1981 revision of the National Assembly Act, which barred presidents from declaring martial law unilaterally.

Historically, most declarations of martial law were aimed at consolidating political power rather than addressing genuine national crises.

The first instance of martial law was declared by President Syngman Rhee in October 1948, just two months after the government's founding.

It was imposed to suppress an armed rebellion by the 14th Regiment of the Republic of Korea Army, which had refused orders to quash a civilian uprising on Jeju Island, known as the Jeju April 3 Incident. A later declaration that same year, specifically targeting Jeju Island, led to a civilian massacre, as armed forces killed many individuals they labeled as "communists."

During the Korean War in the 1950s, martial law was imposed nationwide for the first time, following several regional instances. Martial law was also invoked during the April 19 Revolution in 1960 to suppress student-led protests against Rhee's autocratic rule.

Over his tenure, Rhee declared martial law a total of 10 times.

A tank enters a street in Gwanghwamun, Seoul, following the declaration of martial law after then-President Park Chung-hee's assassination on Oct. 27, 1979. Korea Times file

The use of martial law became frequent before and during the presidency of Park Chung-hee.

In May 1961, then-Major General Park staged a military coup, marking the 11th declaration of martial law in the country's constitutional history. As president, he declared martial law again in Seoul on June 3, 1964, to suppress growing student protests against the normalization of diplomatic and economic relations with Japan.

In October 1972, Park imposed nationwide martial law to enact the Yushin Constitution, which granted him dictatorial powers and removed restrictions on his election. Seven years later on Oct. 18, 1979, martial law was declared in Busan and South Gyeongsang Province during the Busan-Masan Democratic Protests against Park's regime.

After Park's assassination on Oct. 26, 1979, emergency martial law was reimposed across the country except for Jeju Island. This period, lasting for 440 days and ending in January 1981, saw the rise of a new military regime under Chun Doo-hwan. On May 17, 1980, Chun extended the law nationwide to violently crack down on Gwangju citizens, during what was known as the May 18 Gwangju Democratization Movement.

Article 77 of the Korean Constitution gives the president the authority to impose martial law during national crises, such as war or widespread emergencies, to maintain public order.

There are two types of martial law: emergency martial law and security martial law. Yoon invoked the former, which, if successful, would have granted him sweeping powers to restrict many civil rights. To date, 13 instances of emergency martial law and four of security martial law have been declared in the country.