They said it wouldn’t happen again in South Korea — not after more than four decades during which hundreds of thousands of people were beaten, tortured, jailed, and killed while defending democracy against one strongman after another.

Another military coup seemed to be out of the question until the late evening of December 3, when the country’s conservative president, Yoon Suk-yeol abruptly declared martial law on live TV. He attempted to brand his political opponents as pro–North Korea communist sympathizers, using rhetoric reminiscent of the brutal rule of his authoritarian predecessors.

Within less than three hours, the former top prosecutor’s coup attempt, mimicking the track record of army generals in decades past, quickly unraveled, with a swift vote at the National Assembly that blocked the imposition of martial law. Three hours later, Yoon said he would respect the legislature resolution.