South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol's government early Wednesday lifted the martial law he imposed during a tense night of political drama in which troops surrounded parliament and lawmakers voted to reject military rule,
CBS News reports.
Yoon said his government withdrew military personnel following a bipartisan parliamentary vote that rejected martial law, and the measure was formally lifted around 4:30 a.m. during a Cabinet meeting. In all, martial law was in effect for about six hours.
South Korea's main opposition party on Wednesday urged Yoon to resign immediately or face impeachment. Yoon has not publicly responded to the opposition's demand. But his office said senior presidential advisers and secretaries for Yoon offered to resign collectively and the president also put off his official Wednesday morning schedule.
In the capital, tourists and residents walked around, traffic and construction were heard, and other than crowds of police holding shields, it seemed like a normal sunny, cold December morning.
The liberal opposition Democratic Party, which holds a majority in the 300-seat parliament, said Wednesday that its lawmakers decided to call on Yoon to quit immediately or they would take steps to impeach him.
"President Yoon Suk Yeol's martial law declaration was a clear violation of the constitution. It didn't abide by any requirements to declare it," the Democratic Party said in a statement. "His martial law declaration was originally invalid and a grave violation of the constitution. It was a grave act of rebellion and provides perfect grounds for his impeachment."
Impeaching him would require support from two-thirds of the parliament, or 200 of its 300 members. The Democratic Party and other small opposition parties together have 192 seats.
