They are demanding the impeachment of Jun due to the state of emergency

A motion to impeach President Jun Suk-jeol was officially presented in South Korea's parliament yesterday, setting the stage for a historic vote to remove the head of state due to a failed attempt to introduce a state of emergency.

The motion to impeach Jun was submitted by the opposition at the session, which began yesterday shortly after midnight local time, due to his sudden decision to declare a state of emergency, which he withdrew after a chaotic conflict between parliament and the army, which tarnished the country's reputation. After the motion for recall is submitted, the vote must be held within 24 to 72 hours.

The ruling People's Power Party has decided not to support the motion to impeach Jun, local media reported yesterday. Opposition parties, not led by the Democratic Party, together control 192 of parliament's 300 seats and need at least eight lawmakers from Jun's ruling party to join them to achieve the necessary two-thirds majority in the legislature to carry out an impeachment.

If the parliament votes to impeach Jun, the decision must be confirmed by at least six of the nine judges of the Constitutional Court. If removed from office, Jun would become only the second South Korean leader to suffer such a fate since the country became a democracy.

President Park Geun-hye was removed by impeachment in 2017, and Jun, then the chief prosecutor, led the corruption investigation that led to her downfall.

Earlier yesterday, Jun faced calls to resign immediately or face impeachment after his shock attempt to impose South Korea's first state of emergency in more than four decades sparked the deepest crisis in the country's modern democratic history and left those close to him allies.

After Jun's declaration of a state of emergency on Tuesday, armed soldiers stormed into the National Assembly building in Seoul, but retreated when parliamentary aides sprayed them with fire extinguishers.

Lawmakers then rejected a decision to impose a state of emergency, which Jun had declared citing threats from North Korea and "anti-state forces", as protesters clashed with police outside the building. Jun did not support his accusations with evidence.