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Opposition Democratic Party to introduce bill to impeach Yoon for vote on Saturday
- National police chief latest to be arrested, Yonhap reports
- Yoon quiet after apologising for surprise Dec. 3 martial law
- Automaker, financial institution workers to join growing public protest
SEOUL, Dec 11 (Reuters) - South Korea’s police chief became the latest top official to be arrested, Yonhap news agency said on Wednesday, in a widening investigation into President Yoon Suk Yeol’s failed martial law that has plunged the country into a constitutional crisis.
The main opposition Democratic Party (DP) said on Wednesday it plans to hold a parliament vote to impeach Yoon on Saturday, with some members of the president’s People Power Party (PPP) having spoken out in favour of such a motion.
“The impeachment train has left the platform. There is going to be no way to stop it,” DP leader Lee Jae-myung said at the start of a party meeting.
The first impeachment vote last Saturday failed as most PPP members boycotted the session. Yoon’s surprise martial law declaration stunned the country and plunged Asia’s fourth-largest economy and a major U.S. ally into a leadership crisis, sending shockwaves through diplomatic and economic fronts.
National Police Commissioner Cho Ji-ho was arrested early on Wednesday on insurrection charges, Yonhap said. Cho is accused of deploying police to block lawmakers from entering parliament after Yoon declared martial law on Dec. 3.