Seoul: The leader of South Korea’s ruling People Power Party (PPP) on Sunday cancelled a press conference over his future role in the party, officials said, amid growing calls for his resignation after President Yoon Suk Yeol was impeached.
PPP leader Han Dong-hoon abruptly cancelled the press conference that had been expected to announce his resignation.
Han had earlier vowed to continue his duties in response to calls for his resignation after the National Assembly voted to impeach Yoon on Saturday.
He has since faced growing pressure to step down after all five elected members of the PPP’s Supreme Council expressed their intent to resign, Yonhap news agency reported.
Han expressed support for Yoon’s impeachment on Thursday despite his earlier calls for Yoon’s “orderly” resignation.
On Saturday, the National Assembly voted to impeach President Yoon Suk Yeol over his botched imposition of martial law, suspending him from his duties until the Constitutional Court decides whether to reinstate him or remove him from office, with citizens cheering over his impeachment.
The impeachment motion against Yoon passed 204-85, with three abstentions and eight invalid ballots, after all 300 members of the Assembly cast their votes.
The martial law order, which was lifted within six hours after the Assembly voted it down, has prompted investigations by the police, the prosecution and the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials into whether Yoon staged an insurrection. He is currently banned from leaving the country.
Yoon was suspended from his duties at 7:24 p.m., the moment the impeachment resolution was delivered to his office and about 2 and a half hours after the impeachment motion passed.
Just after the suspension of Yoon, Prime Minister Han Duck-soo immediately began his duties as the acting President and convened a Cabinet meeting at the government complex in Seoul.
The impeachment trial can take up to 180 days. If the impeachment is upheld, Yoon will become the second President to be ousted after former President Park Geun-hye in 2017, triggering a snap Presidential election within 60 days.
–IANS
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