Yoon Suk-yeol appears to be losing his last remaining support after declaring a short-lived martial law order that shocked the country.
Members of South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol’s own People Power Party (PPP) said the leader posed a “significant risk” to South Korean citizens and called for his powers to be frozen during a party meeting on Friday.
Yoon was likely to engage in “extreme actions, like reattempting to impose martial law, which could potentially put the Republic of Korea and its citizens in great danger,” PPP’s leader, Han Dong-hun, said.
“It’s my judgment that an immediate suspension of President Yoon Suk-yeol’s official duties is necessary to protect the Republic of Korea and its people,” Han added.
Han’s comments spell trouble for Yoon, who is on the verge of losing power as opposition parties push for a parliamentary vote on his impeachment on Saturday.
Yoon briefly imposed a martial law order on South Korea this week, citing the need to “eliminate anti-state forces.” As he announced martial law, he accused the country’s opposition, the liberal Democratic Party, of sympathising with North Korea.
He reversed course only six hours later after 190 lawmakers forcibly entered the shuttered parliament to vote down the decree.
Opposition parties have called Yoon’s martial law order “unconstitutional, illegal rebellion or coup.” They will need the support of two-thirds of the parliament to pass an impeachment motion and remove Yoon from power.
Elsewhere, Han said he received intelligence that Yoon had ordered one of the country’s top intelligence commanders to arrest other politicians during the brief period he imposed a martial law order on the country.
His account was questioned by South Korea’s spy agency director, Cho Tae-yong, who insisted that such an order would come to him and that he didn’t receive any orders from Yoon to detain politicians.
Yoon under pressure
In addition to facing increasing cross-party support for his impeachment, Yoon’s Defence Minister Kim Yong-hyun is under investigation for his role in Yoon’s decision.
Opposition parties claim it was Kim who recommended Yoon take the step, and he has been replaced in the interim by Vice Defence Minister Kim Seon-ho — who has promised the ministry would be co-operating with prosecutors in an additional investigation into the military’s role in Yoon’s martial law order.
Thousands of protesters have taken to the streets in Seoul since Wednesday, calling for Yoon to resign.
Members of one of the country’s biggest umbrella labour groups, the Korean Metal Worker’s Union, have begun hourly strikes against Yoon, pledging to start indefinite strikes should the leader remain in power.
Events this week in Seoul have drawn international attention, with US President Joe Biden commenting he was “seriously concerned” about Yoon’s martial law order and welcoming its removal.
Lawmakers began impeachment proceedings against Yoon just hours after the martial law order was lifted. They have set Saturday as the date parliament should vote to remove the president.
Opposition parties will need support from 200 members of the National Assembly’s 300. They currently have 192 seats combined, with the PPP having 108 lawmakers.
Additional sources • AP
