South Korea's ruling party calls for president's removal

The head of South Korea's ruling party has called for the country's president, Yoon Suk Yeol, to step down, warning that there is a "great risk" that the president will attempt to declare martial law again.

On December 3, Yoon declared martial law, but was forced to reverse the decision after lawmakers confronted the military in Parliament and voted to reverse the decision, and thousands of people protested outside Parliament.

"Given the new facts that have come to light, I believe that the immediate suspension of President Yoon Suk Yeol's duties is necessary to protect the Republic of Korea and its people," said Han Dong-hoon, head of Yoon's People's Power Party, which had only a day earlier opposed the president's impeachment.

If Yoon remains in power, "there is a great risk that extreme actions, similar to declaring martial law, will be repeated and which could put the Republic of Korea and its people in great danger," Han said.

Han said there is "credible evidence" suggesting that Yoon had ordered the arrest of "key politicians".

Yoon "does not acknowledge that this illegal declaration of martial law is wrong" and he has failed to act against military officials "who have illegally intervened," Han added.

The opposition has already initiated a motion to oust Yoon from power, which is expected to be voted on Saturday, but it is still unclear whether there are enough votes for this motion to pass.

But Han's statements represent a major change in stance, as he said a day earlier that his party would block the motion, which requires a two-thirds majority in Parliament to pass.

The opposition bloc has 192 seats in the 300-member Parliament, while Yoon's party has 108. If the motion to suspend Yoon from the post of president were to pass, then the decision on his removal would depend on the Constitutional Court.

According to media reports, Han will meet on December 6 with Yoon, who has not been seen in public since the early hours of Wednesday.

Lawmaker Jo Seung-lae, a spokesman for the Democratic Party - the main opposition party - told AFP that all lawmakers from the party would remain inside the National Assembly building until the motion is voted on Saturday.

He said this decision was made after "a lot of information that the party has received" regarding the possibility of Yoon declaring martial law for the second time.

Police in South Korea have launched investigations into charges of sedition, charges that have been initiated by the opposition against President Yoon and key state officials.

A day earlier, the president's office announced that Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun had resigned, but other allies of the South Korean president, including Interior Minister Lee Sang-min, continue to hold their posts.

Lawmakers have also criticized the army chief, General Park An-su, who served as the key figure in implementing the martial law decision.

On December 5, Park said she had been unaware of the situation and only realized what had happened when the president declared martial law during a televised address.

During his address, Yoon said the declaration of martial law was made to "protect liberal South Korea from the threats posed by North Korea's communist forces and to eliminate anti-state elements that are hindering the freedoms and happiness of the people."

After the declaration of martial law, security forces surrounded the National Assembly and almost 300 soldiers attempted to take control of the building.

But Parliament staff blocked the soldiers from entering, and MPs inside the plenary hall voted against Yoon's decision./ REL