South Korea ruling party leader calls to block impeachment motion

The chairman of South Korea's ruling party has urged his party to vote against the opposition-led impeachment proceedings against President Yoon Suk Yeol, according to media.

President Yoon unexpectedly declared martial law on Tuesday only to lift it a few hours later in the face of massive political resistance and protests.

The Yonhap news agency on Thursday quoted Han Dong Hoon as saying: "As party leader, I will work to ensure that this impeachment (motion) does not pass to prevent harm from unprepared chaos to the public and supporters."

This marked the first time since South Korea's transition to democracy in the late 1980s that the country's head of state imposed martial law.

In the wake of the turmoil, opposition lawmakers signed a petition for impeachment proceedings, which is set to be voted on in parliament on Saturday.