Seoul, Dec 13 (IANS): Nationwide rallies took place Friday, a day before South Korea's National Assembly votes on a second motion to impeach President Yoon Suk Yeol over a botched martial law attempt.
Civic groups organised the candlelight vigil in front of the National Assembly in western Seoul, while smaller groups gathered in other parts of the country to continue their demonstrations calling for Yoon's removal from office, reports Yonhap news agency.
"Oust him," read one picket sign, while another called to "Disperse the People Power Party," referring to the ruling party.
The rallies featured a cultural festival-like atmosphere, with booths offering warm beverages to help attendees endure the cold.
A second motion to impeach South Korea's President Yoon Suk Yeol over his botched martial law declaration has been reported to the National Assembly on Friday, with the nation reeling from Yoon's December 3 invocation of martial law that triggered unprecedented political turmoil.
Yoon has remained defiant, saying on Thursday that declaring martial law was "within the realm of executive authority, which is not subject to judicial review" and he would fight "until the last moment."
The main opposition Democratic Party (DP) and other opposition parties had originally planned to begin voting on the motion as of 5 p.m. on Saturday, but the office of National Assembly Speaker Woo Won-shik brought forward the timing to 4 p.m.
DP leader Lee Jae-myung urged ruling party lawmakers to vote in favour of the motion, stressing that impeachment is the "fastest and surest way to end this chaos."
If the motion is passed, the Constitutional Court will decide whether to reinstate or remove Yoon from office. If upheld by the court, Yoon would be the second president in South Korea's history to be removed from office through impeachment after former President Park Geun-hye in 2017.
The country remains deeply unsettled following Yoon's declaration of martial law on December 3, which was swiftly overturned by the National Assembly.