Massive rally calling for South Korean President’s ouster held in Seoul amid impeachment motion votes

Seoul: A massive crowd of protesters gathered on Saturday in western Seoul to call for the ouster of President Yoon Suk Yeol over this week’s martial law turmoil.

The large-scale rally took place in Yeouido, where the National Assembly is located, as parliament was set to vote on an impeachment motion against Yoon, Yonhap news agency reported.

Yoon declared emergency martial law in an unexpected decision Tuesday night but subsequently lifted it hours later as the opposition-controlled parliament voted to reject it.

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The President issued a public apology ahead of the vote earlier Saturday and pledged that he won’t order martial law again.

The Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU), one of the largest umbrella labour unions in the country, participated in the gathering.

“An apology cannot cover up treason,” the KCTU said in a statement while calling for the “immediate impeachment and arrest” of Yoon.

The Federation of Korean Trade Unions, another major umbrella union, also condemned the president, saying the apology was aimed at preventing the passage of the impeachment motion.

Calls for an impeachment also emerged from the legal community.

The Korean Bar Association issued a statement shortly after Yoon’s public address, declaring its support for impeachment. “We agree with the impeachment of the president for disrupting the constitutional order through an unconstitutional declaration of martial law.”

Members of various civic groups across the country, including those from Gwangju, Daejeon and Busan, also headed to Seoul on buses to participate in the rally.

A man in his 50s was detained by police after trying to immolate himself near the National Assembly in protest of Yoon’s martial law declaration, according to officials.

The police plan to deploy hundreds of officers to help cars make detours around the route of the march in central Seoul and Yeouido.

“Although this is an extremely sensitive and challenging situation, we will do our utmost to ensure safety,” a police official said. “We will communicate with the organisers to minimise inconvenience to citizens.”