South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol is facing pressure from legislators and the public after he ended martial law, which had troops encircling parliament just hours earlier. Yoon’s senior advisers and Cabinet members are offering to resign amid calls for impeachment.
On Tuesday night, Yoon imposed martial law in an effort to move his agenda through the opposition-dominated parliament. However, lawmakers quickly rejected the measure, and it was only in effect for about six hours before being lifted at a cabinet meeting.
The liberal Democratic Party has threatened to impeach the president over the declaration, citing a clear violation of the constitution. Impeachment would require approval from two-thirds of the 300-member parliament. Despite this, 18 lawmakers from Yoon’s ruling party opposed the decision, and the leader of the People Power Party criticized it as “unconstitutional.”
If Yoon is impeached, he will lose his constitutional powers until the Constitutional Court rules on his fate. The prime minister would take over presidential responsibilities.
This is a rare move in South Korean politics, with scenes of military intervention not seen since the country achieved genuine democracy in the late 1980s.
Source: https://www.foxnews.com/world/south-korean-leader-facing-mounting-calls-resign-impeached-over-martial-law