National Assembly to vote on Yoon's impeachment motion following president's public apology

Lawmakers take part in a plenary session at the National Assembly, Dec. 5. Yonhap

The National Assembly is set to vote Saturday on an impeachment motion against President Yoon Suk Yeol over his short-lived attempt to impose martial law earlier this week, which left South Korea in political turmoil.

The plenary session on impeachment will be held at 5 p.m., yet it remains unclear whether the motion submitted by opposition lawmakers will get the two-thirds majority required to pass it.

Earlier in the day, Yoon delivered a nationally televised apology for causing public anxiety by his botched martial law imposition Tuesday night, while pledging not to make such an attempt again.

The main opposition Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) and five other minor opposition parties earlier submitted the motion, arguing Yoon's martial law declaration constituted violations of the Constitution and other laws.

The opposition bloc holds 192 seats out of the National Assembly's 300 members.

A two-thirds majority is required to pass the motion, which would need support from at least eight lawmakers of the ruling People Power Party (PPP).

The PPP has said it will not change its party policy to oppose the impeachment motion.

Earlier on Saturday, PPP leader Han Dong-hoon said it has become inevitable for Yoon to step down early, adding the president is no longer in a position to perform his duties effectively.

The comments followed Yoon's national address, where he said he would entrust the matter of his term to the PPP.

Members of the opposition Democratic Party of Korea chants in favor of President Yoon Suk Yeol's impeachment during a party meeting at the National Assembly in Seoul, Dec. 7. Yonhap

Among PPP lawmakers, Rep. Cho Kyoung-tae publicly expressed his support for Yoon's impeachment on Friday, the first by a ruling party representative.

Cho, however, appeared to have reversed his decision following Yoon's public apology.

"It is important to quickly establish a road map for his early resignation," Cho said when asked whether he was still in support of impeachment, and added that Han "should take full responsibility and immediate action on all such directions, as that is the proper course of action."

The DPK, meanwhile, expressed disappointment over Yoon's national address, saying the president's immediate resignation or an early departure through impeachment was necessary.

If the motion is passed, the Constitutional Court will decide whether to remove Yoon from office.

If upheld by the court, Yoon would be the second president in South Korea's history to be removed from office through impeachment after former President Park Geun-hye in 2017.

During the plenary session, the Assembly will also hold a revote on a bill calling for a special counsel to investigate allegations of corruption and election interference by first lady Kim Keon Hee.

This will take place right before the impeachment vote.

The bill, vetoed by Yoon for the third time, requires a two-thirds majority to override the veto.

The DPK said it will also put forth an impeachment motion for Interior Minister Lee Sang-min, one of Yoon's closest aides who the the opposition alleges is a key figure behind the botched martial law imposition.

By law, an impeachment motion must be put to a vote between 24 and 72 hours after the motion is reported to a plenary session. (Yonhap)