Motion is launched to impeach South Korea’s president amid fears for his SANITY and claims a SECOND attempt at martial law could be made despite yesterday’s debacle

South Korea’s President Yoon Suk Yeol is now facing impeachment less than 24 hours after his shock declaration of martial law plunged the country into chaos.

Opposition lawmakers, journalists and political experts are now questioning their leader’s sanity and labelled his sensational stunt nothing more than ‘political suicide’. 

The scandal-hit political leader declared the extraordinary measure on Tuesday night in a bid to thwart ‘pro-North Korean, anti-state forces’ – but the move was widely seen as a political ploy to exercise greater power.

Soldiers stormed Seoul’s National Assembly as armed police and riot cops were deployed to hold off hordes of enraged protesters trying to storm the parliament buildings.  

But just hours later Yoon was forced to back down following a dramatic standoff with his horrified parliament, who unanimously rejected his attempt to ban political activity and censor the media.

Now, South Korea’s opposition parties – whose lawmakers jumped fences and tussled with security forces to vote down the law have already filed a motion to impeach Yoon, with a vote expected as early as Friday. 

Opposition leader Lee Jae-myung warned that the ruling party ‘will try (martial law) again when the situation is organised and improved’, while MP Joon Hyung Kim told the BBC that Yoon’s ‘impulsive’ decision showed ‘maybe he’s not in his right mind’.

Yoon, whose approval ratings were already poor following a string of scandals including corruption and influence-peddling allegations against his wife, was also ruthlessly criticised by South Korean journalists and political experts.   

‘The reckless, unpopular president has effectively committed political suicide,’ said Kang Won-taek, a political- science professor at Seoul National University.

Yeom Joo-young, a veteran journalist, told This Week in Asia: ‘By staking his political future on this reckless gamble, he has failed miserably… Ironically, this crisis could serve as a turning point to end the prolonged political instability of Yoon’s presidency and pave the way for a restoration of order earlier than expected.’

‘We’ve submitted an impeachment motion prepared urgently,’ representatives for six opposition parties including the main Democratic Party said at a live press briefing early this morning.

They added that they would discuss when to put it to a vote, but it could come as soon as Friday.

The opposition holds a large majority in the 300-member parliament and needs only a handful of defections from the president’s party to secure the two-thirds majority needed to pass the motion. 

Even the leader of Yoon’s own ruling party described the attempt as ‘tragic’ while calling for those involved to be held accountable. 

Earlier the Democratic Party said it would file charges of ‘insurrection,’ against Yoon, his defence and interior ministers and ‘key military and police figures involved, such as the martial law commander and the police chief’. 

The president’s shocking late-night address triggered chaos on the streets yesterday in Seoul where hordes of angry citizens clashed with riot cops and security forces outside the National Assembly.

South Korea’s military proclaimed that under martial law, parliament and other political gatherings that could cause ‘social confusion’ would be suspended and anyone found to violate the regulations could be arrested without a warrant. 

Yoon vowed ‘to protect the free Republic of Korea from the threat of North Korean communist forces, to eradicate the despicable pro-North Korean anti-state forces plundering the happiness of our people and to protect the constitutional order.’

‘With no regard for the livelihoods of the people, the opposition party has paralysed governance solely for the sake of impeachments, special investigations, and shielding their leader from justice… Through this martial law, I will rebuild and protect the free Republic of Korea, which is falling into the depths of national ruin,’ he said in his address.

But the speech sparked an immediate outpouring of anger as disgruntled citizens marched on the capital’s parliament building. 

As protests raged on into the night, military helicopters were deployed above parliament with soldiers later seen busting through the windows of the parliament building.

The speaker of parliament later declared the law invalid as lawmakers voted to block it with the unanimous backing of 190 members present. 

However, the South Korean military has said it will maintain martial law until it is lifted by Yoon himself.

The nation’s largest umbrella labour union called an ‘indefinite general strike’ until Yoon resigns. 

South Korean Yonhap news agency said the cabinet had agreed in the early hours of Wednesday to scrap the martial law. 

Protesters outside parliament shouted and clapped while chanting ‘We won!’, and one demonstrator banged on a drum. 

But Cho Kuk, head of a minor opposition party, met protesters outside parliament and said: ‘This isn’t over. He put all the people in shock.’ He vowed to impeach Yoon by putting together votes from other parties.

This is a breaking story, more to follow.