South Korea is reeling after a whiplash eight hours during which the country’s embattled president declared martial law but was forced to lift it amid widespread condemnation, throwing the country’s political landscape into chaos and uncertainty.

Within the span of a chaotic six hours, South Korea saw its president declare emergency martial law, be denounced by his own conservative party leader, and withdraw his announcement once again, leaving the nation reeling. The last time a president declared martial law in South Korea was in 1980, seven years before the country became a democracy.