By Riyaz ul Khaliq
ISTANBUL (AA) - South Korean lawmakers will vote on Saturday in a fresh bid to oust President Yoon Suk Yeol over botched up martial law.
The opposition bloc of six parties filed a second impeachment motion against Yoon and the vote is expected to be held on Saturday, according to the Seoul-based Yonhap News.
It came after the 63-year-old embattled leader survived the first impeachment motion over the past weekend.
At least 200 lawmakers are required to oust the president in South Korea's 300-seat parliament.
Several lawmakers of the ruling People Power Party (PPP) have indicated that they may join the opposition bloc of 192 lawmakers to oust Yoon, whose failed attempt to impose martial law on the night of Dec. 3 triggered a prolonged political crisis.
It also triggered mass protests with calls on Yoon to step down.
Ahead of the filing of the fresh motion, Yoon early Thursday defended his move and said he would “fight till the end.”
However, the PPP chairman Han Dong-hoon Thursday voiced support for the impeachment of Yoon after the president publicly defended his attempt to impose martial law.
Han Dong-hoon said it has become "clearer" that Yoon is "unable to carry out" his duties, adding that this situation "must be swiftly straightened out ... through the impeachment process."
"Our party must support impeachment as the party line," he said.
Yoon’s move to ban political activities and to control the media in the wake of martial law was rejected when 190 lawmakers rushed to the parliament on Tuesday night last week, forcing the president to rescind his decision.
Apparently referring to opposition lawmakers, Yoon had justified his decision to punish “anti-state (and) North Korean communist forces” which have “paralyzed” the parliament.
Yoon’s PPP lost parliamentary majority to the main opposition Democratic Party early this year in April general elections.