South Korea President faces ouster after martial law fiasco

South Korean lawmakers on Wednesday proposed impeaching President Yoon Suk Yeol for his sudden decision to declare martial law, which he rescinded after a chaotic standoff between parliament and the army that damaged the country’s standing.

Yoon’s declaration of martial law late on Tuesday attempted to ban political activity and censor the media in South Korea, which has Asia’s fourth largest economy and is a key US ally.

Armed troops forced their way into the National Assembly building in Seoul but stood back when parliamentary aides sprayed them with fire extinguishers. Lawmakers rejected the martial law decision while protesters scuffled with police outside.

On Wednesday evening, civic and labour groups held a candlelight vigil in downtown Seoul calling for Yoon’s resignation - a reminder of the massive candlelight protests that led to the impeachment of former President Park Geun-hye in 2017. They then marched to the presidential office.

Six South Korean opposition parties submitted a bill in parliament to impeach Yoon, who had already faced accusations of heavy-handed leadership from his opponents and from within his own party, with voting set for Friday or Saturday.

However, Yoon’s party vowed to oppose the move, throwing the process into doubt.