Mr Yoon said he would not seek to avoid legal and political responsibility for his decision, which he described as being driven by "a president's desperation".
"I am deeply sorry and would like to sincerely apologize for shocking the people," the South Korean president said. "I leave it to my party to decide on future steps to stabilize the political situation, including the issue of my term."
South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol. (Photo: Reuters)
This is the first time Mr. Yoon Suk-yeol has appeared in public since lifting martial law early on December 4, just 6 hours after the order was issued, in the context of the National Assembly voting against the decree despite the obstruction of the military and police.
After Mr Yoon's speech, South Korea's ruling party leader Han Dong-hoon said the president was no longer capable of performing his national duties and his resignation was inevitable.
President Yoon Suk-yeol shocked South Korea on the night of December 3 when he declared martial law, giving the military full emergency powers to eliminate what he called "anti-state forces".
Some members of the ruling People's Power Party (PPP) urged Yoon to resign ahead of the impeachment vote, saying they did not want a repeat of the 2016 impeachment of then-president Park Geun-hye, who left office after months of widespread protests across South Korea over a presidential influence-peddling scandal.
Thousands of candle-wielding protesters gathered outside the National Assembly on the night of December 6, demanding the impeachment of President Yoon. More protests are expected on Saturday ahead of the vote.
Source: https://vtcnews.vn/korean-president-please-handover-leadership-to-the-government-ar912001.html
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