The South Korean president is being asked to resign

The South Korean president is being asked to resign

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South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol faced increasing calls for his ouster on Wednesday after his failed attempt to impose martial law triggered the country’s worst constitutional crisis in decades.

Opposition lawmakers called on him to resign or threaten him with a trial that would remove him from office following a parliamentary vote, while protesters against the 63-year-old former prosecutor held a rally in central Seoul on Wednesday morning.

The unrest came after Yoon declared martial law in an unscheduled nationwide broadcast late on Tuesday, saying he must cleanse South Korea of ​​”anti-state forces” and “normalize the country.”

But hours later, he backtracked and repealed the order after it was unanimously rejected by the opposition-controlled legislature. The troops sent to surround the parliament building were withdrawn.

South Korea’s main opposition Democratic Party said Yoon’s imposition of martial law was “a serious violation of the constitution.”

“This represents a clear betrayal and is a perfect reason to impeach him,” it said in a statement.

“(Yoon) is likely to make another attempt since his first attempt to issue a war decree failed,” Lee Jae-myung, the party leader, said at a rally at the parliament grounds. “But we face greater risk if he can provoke North Korea and risk an armed clash with North Korea by destabilizing the divided border.”

Yoon’s attempt to impose martial law – the first in the country since democracy was restored in the 1980s – came after months of tensions with his rivals in parliament.

After the night of upheaval, South Korea’s financial authorities vowed to stabilize Asia’s fourth-largest economy with “unlimited” liquidity. The Bank of Korea said after an emergency meeting on Wednesday that it was “keeping all options open until markets stabilize.”

The won, which had depreciated significantly against the dollar after Yoon declared martial law, recovered.

The leading index Kospi fell by almost 2 percent. Shares of Samsung Electronics, the country’s largest company, fell 1.1 percent.

Yoon’s own conservative People Power Party called on the president to fire his defense minister, Kim Yong-hyun, who they said had suggested declaring martial law. Party leaders are discussing whether Yoon should leave the party, state-run newspaper Yonhap News reports.

The Korea Federation of Trade Unions, the country’s leading union federation, called for an indefinite strike until Yoon resigned.

Yoon’s abandonment of his attempt to impose martial law was welcomed by the United States, South Korea’s main ally.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the U.S. was “closely monitoring developments over the past 24 hours.”

“We welcome President Yoon’s statement that he would rescind the order declaring emergency law,” Blinken said in a statement. “We continue to assume that political differences will be resolved peacefully and in accordance with the rule of law.”

Any attempt to impeach Yoon would require a two-thirds majority of the 300-member National Assembly. Opposition parties have a total of 192 seats, meaning a bill could be passed with the support of more than eight members of Yoon’s own party.

In the event of an impeachment vote, Yoon would be immediately suspended from his presidential duties pending a final decision by South Korea’s Constitutional Court. A new election must take place within 60 days of a president’s impeachment or resignation. The Prime Minister would assume the acting role.

If lawmakers don’t vote for impeachment, there could be more demonstrations, said Choi Jin-bong, a professor of journalism and broadcasting at Sungkonghoe University. “Public protests are likely to increase and force them to vote for impeachment again,” he said.

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