SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — A plan to impeach South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol over his short-lived declaration of martial law has failed after members of his ruling party walked out of parliament Saturday ahead of a scheduled vote.

People Power Party (PPP) MPs were shouted at and insulted as they walked out en masse after voting on a separate motion, leaving the 192 opposition MPs eight votes short of the two-thirds majority needed for the impeachment motion to succeed.

Opposition lawmakers had said that if the impeachment motion was not passed, they would return to it on Wednesday, amid simmering public anger over Yoon’s confusing order that plunged East Asian democracy and the key U.S. ally into chaos.

Early Saturday, in a brief nationally televised address, Yoon apologized for his actions, saying they were “driven by the urgency” he felt as president but had “caused fear and inconvenience to the public.”

“I deeply regret this and sincerely apologize to the citizens who were alarmed,” he said.

“I will not shirk legal and political responsibility for this declaration of martial law,” Yoon continued, speaking for a total of just over two minutes before bowing his head deeply in front of the cameras.

He said he would not declare martial law a second time, a concern voiced by some opposition lawmakers, and that his party would decide how long he should remain in office and how state affairs would be managed.

Han Dong-hoon, the PPP chairman, called on Yoon to resign and told reporters after the speech that it had become “impossible” for him to carry out his normal presidential duties.

Lee Jae-myung, leader of the liberal opposition Democratic Party and Yoon’s rival in the 2022 presidential election, called the president’s address “very disappointing.”

“President Yoon’s statement did not meet public expectations at all and further fueled feelings of betrayal,” Lee said.

“There is no other way than to leave office early.”

Six opposition parties launched impeachment proceedings against Yoon this week. The opposition bloc has 192 of the unicameral legislature’s 300 seats, just shy of the two-thirds majority needed to pass the motion.

But the conservative PPP also remained formally opposed to a bill that would appoint a special prosecutor to investigate corruption allegations against Yoon’s wife. That bill was narrowly defeated on Saturday before PPP lawmakers left the chamber.

In contrast, opposition MPs and much of the public insist that Yoon be removed from office. Large crowds of protesters have called for Yoon’s ouster, while smaller ones have rallied for him.

“One cannot and cannot apologize with just words after attempting to declare martial law. “The only way for President Yoon Suk Yeol to take his apology seriously is to resign now,” Seoul resident Margie Kim said after Yoon’s speech.

A Gallup Korea poll released Friday showed Yoon’s approval rating at 13%, the Korea Times reported, down from 19% a week earlier.

Lee, the Democratic Party leader, said Yoon’s “unconstitutional and illegal declaration of martial law” had caused chaos and fear in the country of 50 million, which spent decades under military-authoritarian rule before becoming a vibrant democracy and the 10th century . largest economy.

“This nation’s democracy, fought for with blood, sweat and tears, is now being destroyed by an unruly force, and our people have suffered grave injuries to their national dignity and pride,” he said Friday.

Lee also expressed concern about how the declaration of martial law could affect South Korea’s relations with the United States, noting that U.S.-South Korea Nuclear Advisory Group meetings scheduled for this week in Washington had been postponed due to the unrest .

“Our national credibility as well as our diplomacy have been severely affected,” he said.

Biden administration officials said they were not informed in advance that Yoon would declare martial law. But they have repeatedly reiterated the “ironclad” nature of the U.S. alliance with South Korea, which they view as an important bulwark against North Korea, China and Russia and where nearly 30,000 American troops are stationed.

The U.S. relationship with South Korea “goes beyond any single president or administration on either side of the Pacific Ocean,” State Department deputy spokesman Vedant Patel said Thursday.

Before his address on Saturday, 63-year-old Yoon, a former chief prosecutor who took office in 2022, had not appeared in public since the martial law order was lifted early Wednesday after lawmakers defied a security cordon around the building to enter the National Assembly and voted unanimously to reject it.

He has since accepted the resignation of his Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun, who said he took full responsibility for what happened. Many other officials, including Yoon’s chief of staff and all senior presidential secretaries, have also tendered their resignations.

South Korean police and prosecutors are investigating allegations of insurrection and treason against Yoon, Kim and Interior Minister Lee Sang-min. The Defense Department has also suspended three top commanders and requested overseas travel bans for them, Kim and seven other active-duty military officers.

Military officers and government officials described a chaotic six hours from when Yoon declared martial law around 10:30 p.m. on Tuesday to the time he revoked the order around 4:30 a.m. on Wednesday. Many of them said they learned of the martial law order, the first in South Korea since 1980, from Yoon’s surprise televised address or from news reports.

In his speech, Yoon accused the opposition-controlled parliament of paralyzing the government by seeking the removal of several government officials and cutting key funding from next year’s state budget. He also accused his opponents of sympathizing with nuclear-armed North Korea, his reclusive communist neighbor with whom the South technically remains at war.

A martial law declaration issued after Yoon’s speech banned all political activity, including demonstrations, and censored the news media. In addition, the country’s striking doctors were ordered to return to work within 48 hours.

Officials said Friday that Yoon had ordered the arrests of prominent politicians including Lee, the head of the Democratic Party, and Han, the leader of Yoon’s own party, along with other opposition lawmakers, a journalist, a former Supreme Court justice and a former Chief Chief Justice of the Court.

Yoon’s office did not comment on the allegations.

Stella Kim reported from Seoul and Jennifer Jett from Hong Kong.