Last year, a political blockbuster gripped South Korea with a dramatization of a painful memory from its authoritarian past, when the assassination of President Park Chung-hee in 1979 led to a military coup and plunged the country into the iron grip of martial law.

Is South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol on the verge of being forced out of office for declaring martial law nearly a week ago? The question, which has dogged Yoon through a series of moves by the opposition to end his presidency,

Martial law was first used in 1948 by South Korea's first president Syngman Rhee as he cracked down on communist uprisings, killing thousands. It was also invoked during the 1950-53 Korean War to allow South Korea to use its military to stifle anti-government protests.