The largest opposition party in South Korea submitted on Friday a second motion to impeach President Yoon Suk Yeol, with the parliament set to vote on Yoon’s ouster on Saturday at 5 pm (0800 GMT), the Yonhap news agency reported.
Their first motion a week ago failed after members of Yoon’s ruling People Power Party (PPP) boycotted the proceedings, leaving it without a needed quorum.
But the chances that the National Assembly will get rid of the unpopular Yoon are greater now. There are 300 members of parliament. The opposition has 192 seats but needs eight other votes, as two-thirds or 200 legislators must vote to impeach Yoon in order to kick him out of office.
Seven parliamentarians from the PPP ruling party have already publicly announced their intention to support the motion. PPP’s chairman, Han Dong Hoon, also openly declared his support for the proposal on Thursday – but he has changed his mind before.
The turmoil stems from Yoon’s unexpected declaration of martial law on December 3, which he lifted some six hours later following massive protests.
On Thursday, Yoon defended his decision during an impromptu televised address, saying he made the move to protect the nation from “anti-state forces” – meaning his political opponents. These people, Yoon maintained, would paralyse the government and disrupt the country’s constitutional order.
A 24-hour Yonhapnews TV broadcast at Yongsan Railway Station shows South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol delivering a special address at the presidential office in Seoul. Yeol said on December 7 he is “sincerely sorry” over causing public concerns for declaring martial law earlier this week, while pledging not to make another such attempt again. Kim Jae-Hwan/SOPA Images via ZUMA Press Wire/dpa