dpa
Seoul
Shortly before the second impeachment vote of South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, the chairman of the ruling party has said he’s in favour of removing Yoon - a change from his previous position.
But there are no signs that the president is willing to go quietly.
In a televised public address, Yoon said his declaration of martial law and sending of troops to the country’s parliament or National Assembly does not amount to an insurrection and he won’t step down, the Yonhap news agency reported.
He blamed the opposition, which he said was obstructing his government’s efforts to make necessary budget cuts, saying they are "performing a frenzied sword dance.” "The National Assembly, dominated by the large opposition party, has become a monster that destroys the Constitutional order of free democracy,” Yoon told viewers.
The main opposition Democratic Party controls 171 seats in the 300-member parliament. For an impeachment vote to succeed, two-thirds of the parliament or 200 legislators must agree to it.
But if the views of Han Dong Hoon, leader of the People Power Party (PPP) can be spread to other party members, Yoon, a PPP member, will have to go.
Still Han has changed his mind before - earlier he said he was going to back Saturday’s first impeachment vote, but switched, resulting in PPP members boycotting the vote, which subsequently failed.
"We must stop further confusion. There is only one effective method now,” Han told a press conference on Thursday, according to a Yonhap report.
He said party members "should enter the assembly hall and take part in the vote based on their own conviction and conscience.” Last Tuesday, Yoon unexpectedly imposed martial law, but reversed it some six hours later following massive political protests. Despite the reversal, protests continued in South Korea and there was criticism from abroad.