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Last Saturday’s first impeachment vote ended in disarray after most members of Yoon’s conservative People Power party (PPP) boycotted the impeachment vote. But PPP lawmakers are expected to turn up to vote today.
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Hello and welcome to the Guardian’s live coverage of the continuing political crisis in South Korea, where the parliament is preparing to vote for the second time on a motion to impeach the president, Yoon Suk Yeol, after his failed attempt to impose martial law.
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Thousands of people have already taken to the streets of Seoul today in rival rallies for and against Yoon, hours ahead of the impeachment vote.
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Protests demanding Yoon step down kicked off around midday outside the National Assembly, which will vote at 4pm (0700 GMT) on an impeachment resolution – a week after a first attempt to remove Yoon for the martial law debacle failed.
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Police expect at least 200,000 people to demonstrate in support of removing him.
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On the other side of Seoul near Gwanghwamun square, thousands more rallied in support of Yoon, blasting patriotic songs and waving South Korean and American flags.
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Two hundred votes are needed for the impeachment to pass, meaning opposition lawmakers must convince eight parliamentarians from Yoon’s conservative People Power party (PPP) to switch sides. Seven have pledged to do so.
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Here’s what else happened this week:
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Yoon defended his shock decision last week to impose martial law in a defiant and lengthy TV address on Thursday, vowing to “fight until the end” attempts to remove him from office. He repeated claims that he had been trying to defend the country from anti-state forces
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On Wednesday, police raided Yoon’s office, in an attempt to establish whether Yoon’s actions amounted to insurrection. It emerged later that Yoon’s security guards had prevented officers from getting into the main building
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Yoon’s former defence minister and one of his close associates, Kim Yong-hyun, tried to kill himself at a Seoul detention centre on Wednesday night, but was stopped by correctional officers. He had been arrested on allegations of playing a key role in a rebellion and committing abuse of power, becoming the first person formally arrested over the martial law decree
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The country’s police chief and the head of Seoul’s metropolitan police were also detained for sending their forces to the national assembly. Lawmakers voted on Thursday to impeach the police chief and the justice minister.
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Yoon was banned from leaving the country on Monday, and on Tuesday authorities banned more senior officials from leaving, including Cho Ji-ho, the commissioner general of the Korean National Police Agency. Already under a travel ban were the former defence and interior ministers and the martial law commander, Gen Park An-su.
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major events
The National Assembly is currently discussing the impeachment of President Yoon Seok-yeol.
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President's party votes against impeachment – Report
Justin McQuarrie
South Korea's ruling party has decided to maintain its official position of voting against the impeachment of President Yun Seok-Yeol, local media reported.
The first impeachment vote, held last Saturday, ended in chaos as most members of Yun's conservative People Power (PPP) party boycotted the vote. However, PPP MPs are expected to attend the vote today.
Opening overview
Hello. Welcome to the Guardian's live coverage of the ongoing political crisis in South Korea. The country's parliament is preparing to vote for a second time on a motion to impeach President Yoon Seok-yeol, whose attempt to impose martial law failed.
Hours before the impeachment vote, thousands of people have already taken to the streets of Seoul to rally for and against Yoon.
Protests calling for Yun's resignation began around noon in front of the National Assembly, and an impeachment resolution is scheduled to be voted on at 4pm (7pm Japan time). This came a week after the first attempt to remove him from office failed.
Police expect at least 200,000 people to demonstrate in support of his removal.
On the other side of Seoul, near Gwanghwamun Square, thousands more rallied to support Mr. Yoon, singing patriotic songs and waving South Korean and American flags.
Impeachment requires 200 votes, and opposition members will need to persuade eight members of Yun's conservative People Power (PPP) party to switch sides. Seven people have pledged to do so.
Here's what else happened this week:
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In a defiant and lengthy televised address on Thursday, Yun defended last week's shocking decision to impose martial law.vowing to “fight to the end'' and trying to have him removed from office. He repeatedly claimed that he was trying to protect the country from anti-national forces.
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On Wednesday, police raided Yun's office to determine whether his actions amounted to rebellion. It was later revealed that Yoon's security guard had been blocking the officers from entering the main building.
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Kim Yong-hyun, Yun's former defense minister and close aide, attempted suicide at a Seoul detention center on Wednesday night.but was stopped by a prison officer. He played a key role in the rebellion and was arrested on suspicion of abuse of power, making him the first person to be formally arrested over martial law.
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The country's police chief and the Seoul Metropolitan Police chief were also arrested for sending the military to the National Assembly. Lawmakers voted Thursday to impeach the police chief and the justice minister.
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Yun was barred from leaving the country on Monday, and authorities barred more senior officials from leaving the country on Tuesday.including Cho Ji-ho, Commissioner of the Korean National Police Agency. Former defense ministers, interior ministers, and martial law commander General Park Ahn-su were already subject to travel bans.
