On the night of December 3, 2024, South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol appeared on national television and made a stunning declaration that sent shockwaves across the globe: he was imposing martial law. In a 21st-century democracy, a G20 nation, and a key U.S. ally, the military was being ordered onto the streets to neutralize the nation's legislature and silence all political opposition. The world held its breath, as the peninsula?and potentially the entire region?was pushed to the brink of chaos and war.

What drove a democratically elected leader to take such a desperate, dictatorial step? And more importantly, how was a modern coup d'état defeated in just six hours?

This book provides the definitive account of that extraordinary night and the political firestorm that led to it. It goes behind the headlines to unravel the web of factors that cornered a president: a crushing electoral defeat that rendered him a lame-duck, festering scandals surrounding his First Lady, and a relentless political opposition determined to see him fail. Facing political annihilation, Yoon made a final, desperate gamble to retain power.

Six Hours in Seoul is a gripping, moment-by-moment narrative of a nation's gravest constitutional crisis. It tells the story of the unlikely heroes who emerged from the chaos: opposition lawmakers who scaled the walls of a barricaded National Assembly, military commanders who defied illegal orders from their president, and ordinary citizens who poured into the streets to form a human shield around their democracy. It details the secret plans, the alleged "arrest lists" of political enemies, and the dramatic bipartisan vote that dismantled the coup as quickly as it began.

From the midnight declaration to the historic impeachment and the unprecedented arrest of a sitting president, this is more than just a story about South Korean politics. It is a riveting political thriller and a powerful testament to the resilience of democracy, offering a vital, cautionary tale for a turbulent world.