The leader of the ruling party in South Korea, Han Dong-hoon, said on Monday that he was stepping down after President Yoon Suk Yeol got impeached in the second vote in parliament last week. Despite his party's (People Power Party) backlash over his calls for President Yoon Suk Yeol's impeachment, Han said in a televised press conference that he had no regrets in doing so. “I step down as the leader of the People Power Party,” Han said, adding “I sincerely apologise to all the people who have suffered due to the emergency martial law incident.” South Korea’s parliament impeached President Yoon on Saturday after a motion was tabled by the opposition led alliance over Yoon’s short-lived martial law declaration earlier this month. The motion, which was the second to be tabled as the first one failed due to a boycott of vote by the ruling party, passed in the National Assembly in a 204-85 vote. President Yoon’s impeachment means his powers and duties will remain suspended until a Constitutional Court decides upon whether to dismiss Yoon as the president or restore his powers. The court has 180 days to decide upon the case. If Yoon loses the case in the Constitutional Court, a fresh election will be held within 60 days of the verdict. According to Reuters, South Korea's Constitutional Court will begin reviewing the impeachment of President Yoon Suk Yeol over his decision to declare martial law from Monday onwards. Prior to his impeachment, Yoon in a televised speech defended his decision of enforcing martial law and rejected the charges of rebellion. “I will fight to the end to prevent the forces and criminal groups that have been responsible for paralyzing the country’s government and disrupting the nation’s constitutional order from threatening the future of the Republic of Korea,” Yoon had said.
