Yoon did not offer to resign in his brief address, saying only that he would “entrust the party with measures to stabilise the political situation, including my term in office”.
His People Power Party (PPP) is divided on the issue, with lawmakers late Friday sticking to the official line that they would block impeachment, even after party head Han Dong-hoon said Yoon must go or Seoul risked more political chaos.
“The normal performance of the president’s duties is impossible under the (current) circumstances, and an early resignation of the president is inevitable,” Han Dong-hoon told reporters early Saturday.
ENOUGH VOTES?
The opposition bloc holds 192 seats in the 300-strong parliament, while Yoon’s PPP has 108.
Just eight ruling party lawmakers need to defect for the vote to get the two-thirds majority it needs to pass. One PPP lawmaker has already publicly said they will vote with the opposition.
Police have also begun investigating Yoon and others for alleged insurrection.
“I will not shy away from the issue of legal and political responsibility regarding the declaration of martial law,” Yoon said during his address.
Opposition leader Lee said Yoon’s speech was “very disappointing” given widespread public demands for him to step down.
His speech “only exacerbates the sense of betrayal and anger among the citizens”, he said, adding the only solution to the current political chaos was “the immediate resignation of the president or an early departure through impeachment”.
