Demonstration Held In Seoul Demands President Yoon To Resign

South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeo/PHOTO via Instagram @sukyeol.yoon

JAKARTA - A large crowd of protesters gathered Saturday in western Seoul to demand the sacking of President Yoon Suk Yeol over the military emergency chaos this week.

The large-scale action took place in Yeouido, where the National Assembly is located, where Parliament will vote on Yoon's impeachment motion.

Last Tuesday, Yoon declared martial law suddenly but lifted it hours later when opposition-controlled parliament voted to reject it.

Yoon apologized for his declaration just hours before his impeachment vote and promised not to repeat it.

"Apologies cannot cover up betrayal," said the Confederation of Korean Trade Unions (KCTU), one of the country's largest trade union umbrellas, calling for "an impeachment and immediate arrest" Yoon.

Reported by ANTARA from Yonhap-OANA, Saturday, December 7, another union umbrella, the Korean Federation of Commerce Unions also criticized the president, saying that an apology was only to prevent impeachment motion.

The impeachment claim also came from the legal community.

The Korean Lawyers Association issued a statement shortly after Yoon's public speech, expressing his support for impeachment. "We agree with the dismissal of the president for disrupting the constitutional order through an unconstitutional military emergency declaration."

Various civil groups across the country, including from Gwangju, Daejeon and Busan, are also heading to Seoul to participate in demonstrations.

A man in his 50s was detained by police after trying to burn himself near the National Assembly in protest at Yoon's military emergency declaration, officials said.

Police plan to deploy hundreds of officers to help the car create a turning road around the protest routes in Central Seoul and Yeouido.

"While this is a very sensitive and challenging situation, we will do our best to ensure safety," said a police official.

"We will communicate with the organizers to minimize discomfort to other citizens." he continued.