South Korea’s President Yoon Suk-yeol is facing a growing possibility of ouster after the head of his ruling party called for him to step down to briefly impose martial law.
Han Dong-hoon, head of Yun’s People’s Power, said that if Yun remains, “there is a significant risk that extreme actions such as the declaration of martial law could be repeated, which would lead to the death of the Republic of Korea and its citizens.” may pose a serious threat.” Party (PPP).
Opposition lawmakers were stalled in parliament ahead of Saturday evening’s vote on Yun’s impeachment, fearing the president could launch a desperate last-ditch bid to stay in power.
Opposition leader Lee Jae-myung told AFP that the impeachment vote was scheduled for tomorrow, with the coming hours “very precarious”. “Tonight will be a very critical period,” he said in the National Assembly, where according to an aide, buses were strategically parked to prevent helicopters from landing.
‘great danger’
Yun declared martial law late Tuesday and sent troops and helicopters into parliament to prevent lawmakers from voting to suspend his civilian government.
The opposition tabled an impeachment motion on Wednesday – which is now scheduled for a vote on Saturday at around 5:00 pm (0800 GMT), after it was brought forward by two hours – but Han initially said he would will oppose.
On Friday, however, Yun Ki, the once staunchly loyal head of the PPP, broke with the president.
“Considering the newly emerging facts, I believe that the immediate suspension of President Yoon Seok-yul’s duties is necessary to protect the Republic of Korea and its people,” Han said.
protest
Police expect tens of thousands of people to attend anti-EU rallies on Saturday ahead of the impeachment vote, which requires a two-thirds majority. Organizers hope 200,000 people will take to the streets.
The opposition bloc has 192 seats in the 300-strong parliament, while the PPP has 108 seats. A successful vote would suspend Yun from office pending a ruling by the Constitutional Court.
Shin Yul, a professor of political science at Myeonggi University, told AFP that Han’s U-turn was “significantly affected by the gravity of the situation, especially the mobilization of intelligence agencies to arrest politicians”.
A fresh opinion poll released Friday put support for the 63-year-old president, who has been sliding from crisis to crisis since taking office in 2022, to a record low of 13 percent.
On Friday night, at least 15,000 anti-Yeon protesters braved the cold weather to gather in Seoul’s Ueido district, where the National Assembly is located. They held candles and signs that read “Yoon Suk-yeol must resign (for crimes of rebellion)” and called for his arrest.