The Korean term for "martial law" was the most-searched word on Google in South Korea on Wednesday following President Yoon Suk Yeol's short-lived declaration of martial law.

The word topped Google's trends chart with the search volume over the past 24 hours surpassing the 2 million mark, up more than a thousand percent from a day ago.

"Currency exchange rate" and "Kim Yong-hyun," the name of the South Korean defense minister who reportedly proposed declaring the martial law to the president, ranked second and third on the trends chart, respectively.

Yoon declared martial law late Tuesday night, accusing the opposition of paralyzing the government with "anti-state activities," but lifted it hours later after the National Assembly voted to call for its end.

With the nation in shock over the incident, the news page of South Korea's largest internet portal, Naver, saw all-time high traffic overnight, according to its operator.

The surge briefly disrupted some of its functions, but service was quickly normalized. (Yonhap)