Seoul, 7 December 2024 (dpa/MIA) - South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol apologized on Saturday for the temporary imposition of martial law, ahead of an expected parliamentary vote to remove him from office.

It was the first time Yoon has addressed the public directly since he unexpectedly declared martial law on Tuesday, only to lift it a few hours later in the face of massive political resistance and protests.

In a televised speech, Yoon promised that such an event would not happen again under his leadership.

"I am sincerely sorry and apologize to the people who must have been very surprised," Yoon said, the South Korean news agency Yonhap reported.

He stated he would "take full legal and political responsibility" for his actions and leave it to his ruling party to decide how long he should remain in office.

The leader of Yoon's party, the People Power Party, Han Dong-hoon has described the president's resignation as inevitable, Yonhap reported.

Yoon was no longer in a position to perform his duties effectively, Han said.

South Korean lawmakers submitted a motion to impeach Yoon in the wake of the turmoil. The motion in the National Assembly is expected to be voted on later on Saturday.

The largest opposition party had previously accused the conservative head of state of breaching the constitution and called for him to resign immediately.

On Tuesday, Yoon suddenly called for martial law to be instituted, accusing the country's opposition of sympathizing with North Korea and saying that the step aimed to "eradicate pro-North Korean forces and protect the constitutional order of freedom."

A few days later, Yoon accepted the resignation of his defence minister, Kim Yong Hyun, who is said to have proposed the martial law plans to Yoon.

Widespread demonstrations against Yoon are expected to take place in the capital Seoul on Saturday.

Photo: MIA archive