Opposition lawmakers in South Korea have put forward a motion to impeach President Yoon over his botched attempt late on Tuesday to impose martial law.The motion will still need to be debated before going to a vote, possibly later this week.
As we've just reported, opposition lawmakers in South Korea have tabled a motion to impeach President Yoon, triggering what will likely be a days-long process.
Once an impeachment bill is proposed, at least two-thirds of South Korea's 300-member National Assembly must vote to impeach Yoon - that translates to at least 200 votes.
The vote must take place within 72 hours.
The next step now though, is for the Speaker of the Assembly Woo Won-sik to open a session for the motion to be debated - which could happen as early as in two days.
Japan's Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba has expressed "exceptional and serious concerns" over President Yoon's short-lived decision to declare martial law and said he is monitoring the situation in the neighbouring country closely.
Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, Ishiba said his government was "taking all possible measures" to ensure the safety of Japanese nationals in South Korea and that he was unaware of any reports of injuries.
South Korean President Yoon's decision shows he is "completely out of touch with [the] reality of what the country is going through at this point", former foreign minister Kang Kyung-wha has told the BBC.
Yoon has become increasingly unpopular for how he handled questions about his conduct and a recent controversy over his wife, Kang added, and has been blaming the opposition party for blowing these issues out of proportion in parliament.
What happens next, says Kang, is entirely up to Yoon himself.
"The ball is in the president's court to find a way out of this corner that he himself has put in," she said.
