South Korea's opposition leader warned ruling party members on Friday that "history will remember" if they do not support the impeachment of President Yoon Suk Yeol, with less than 24 hours remaining before a vote on his removal.
Yoon’s brief declaration of South Korea's first martial law in over four decades has plunged the nation’s vibrant democracy into some of its most intense political turmoil in years.
A bid to oust him last Saturday failed when lawmakers from the ruling People Power Party (PPP) boycotted the impeachment motion.
However, following a week of behind-the-scenes maneuvering and an escalating investigation into Yoon and his inner circle, analysts suggest the main opposition Democratic Party may have a better chance with its second attempt.
Saturday's impeachment vote will take place around 5 p.m. (8 a.m. GMT), with Yoon charged with "insurrectionary acts undermining the constitutional order" for his martial law bid.
Two hundred votes are needed for it to pass, meaning opposition lawmakers must convince eight ruling party colleagues to defect.
On Friday, the leader of the Democratic Party, Lee Jae Myung, implored the PPP to support the president's removal from office.
"What the lawmakers must protect is neither Yoon nor the ruling People Power Party but the lives of the people wailing out in the freezing streets," Lee said.
"Please join in supporting the impeachment vote tomorrow. History will remember and record your choice."
Two ruling party lawmakers supported the motion last week.
As of Friday noon, seven ruling party lawmakers have pledged to support impeachment, leaving the vote on a knife's edge.
But members of the opposition are confident they will get the votes.
Lawmaker Kim Min Seok said Friday he was "99%" sure the impeachment will pass.
Should it pass, Yoon will be suspended from office while South Korea's Constitutional Court deliberates.
Prime Minister Han Duck Soo will step in as interim president during that time.
The court will then have 180 days to rule on Yoon's future. If it backs his removal, Yoon will become the second president in South Korean history to be impeached.
There is also precedent for the court to block impeachment: In 2004, then-President Roh Moo Hyun was removed by parliament for alleged election law violations and incompetence.
But the Constitutional Court later reinstated him.
The court also currently only has six judges, meaning their decision would need to be unanimous.
Should the vote fail, Yoon can still face "legal responsibility" for the martial law bid, Kim Hyun Jung, a researcher at the Korea University Institute of Law, told AFP.
"This is clearly an act of insurrection," she said.
"Even if the impeachment motion does not pass, the president's legal responsibilities under the Criminal Code ... cannot be avoided."
Yoon has remained unapologetic and defiant as the fallout from his disastrous martial law has deepened.
In a televised address, he vowed on Thursday to fight "until the very last minute" and doubled down on unsubstantiated claims that the opposition was in league with the country's communist foes.
Thousands have taken to the streets of Seoul since Yoon's martial law declaration to demand his resignation and jailing.
Yoon's approval rating – never very high – has plummeted to 11%, according to a Gallup Korea poll released Friday.
The same poll showed that 75% now support his impeachment.
Protesters run the gamut of South Korean society – from K-pop fans waving glow sticks to retirees and blue-collar workers.
"Impeachment is a must and we must fight relentlessly," Kim Sung Tae, a 52-year-old worker at a company that makes car parts, told AFP.
"We're fighting for the restoration of democracy."
Teacher Kim Hwan Ii agreed.
"I'm so angry that we all have to pay the price for electing this president."
