South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol faces impeachment vote after imposing martial law

(SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA) — South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol will face an impeachment vote Saturday, days after briefly imposing martial law.

The country’s dominant opposition party moved on Wednesday to impeach Yoon, submitting a motion a day after his declaration of martial law set off a night of political chaos.

The opposition party, the Democratic Party, had been working Friday to gain enough votes from the ruling party side to pass the motion to impeach, which would then go to the Constitutional Court.

A high-level official in Korea’s spy agency this week also said he had refused a request by the president to arrest several key political figures. He was immediately dismissed with Yoon claiming he did note order arrests of lawmakers.

The head of the ruling People Power Party turned course from Thursday in announcing that the president is unfit to lead the country.

“I think that President Yoon Suk Yeol should be suspended from office as soon as possible,” Han Dong-hoon said during an emergency party meeting on Friday morning.

He was careful to avoid using the word “impeachment” but implied that Yoon should either resign or be forced to step down.

After that about-face statement, South Korea’s political scene went through a roller coaster ride.

Han briefly met with the president at his request in the afternoon.

The president was on his way to the National Assembly but turned back after a group of opposition party lawmakers gathered at the entrance of the Assembly Hall chanting “impeachment,” “treason” and and even calling for the arrest of Yoon.

The speaker of the National Assembly read a stern statement on camera demanding that the president hold off a visit to the National Assembly until security matters are ironed out.

“A second sate of emergency cannot be tolerated,” and “If there is, by any chance, another misjudgment by the President in declaring a state of emergency, we will do everything in our power to prevent it,” Woo Won-shik said.

Yoon declared martial law in a televised speech late Tuesday, saying the measure was necessary due to the actions of the country’s liberal opposition, which he accused of controlling parliament, sympathizing with North Korea and paralyzing the government.

The move sparked massive protests, and hours after the declaration, the National Assembly voted early Wednesday morning local time demanding that the president lift the martial law order. Yoon lifted the order shortly thereafter.

“This is a serious act of rebellion and perfect grounds for impeachment,” a Democratic Party spokesperson said in a statement after martial law was lifted.

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