South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol has vowed to “fight to the end” after opposition parties introduced a new joint motion to impeach him over a failed martial law attempt last week.
According to the National Assembly, the main liberal opposition Democratic Party, along with five smaller opposition parties, submitted the motion on Thursday afternoon.
The impeachment vote is scheduled for Saturday at around 5 PM (08:00 GMT). To pass, the motion requires the support of eight members from the ruling People Power Party (PPP) to secure the two-thirds majority needed.
PPP leader Han Dong-hoon has urged party members to attend the session and vote “based on their conviction and conscience.”
The move comes after authorities dispatched police to the presidential office compound to “obtain documents and materials”, according to the local Yonhap news agency. A similar attempt was blocked on Wednesday by security guards.
Yoon denies rebellion charges
South Korea’s capital, Seoul, has been rocked by daily protests since December 3, when Yoon stunned the nation by declaring emergency martial law, saying he was acting to protect the country from “threats” posed by North Korea and accused the opposition of being “antistate forces”.
