South Korea’s president says he is ‘very sorry’ over martial law chaos

South Korea’s president Yoon Suk-Yeol on Saturday bowed to his nation in a television address as he apologised for invoking martial law and plunging the country into turmoil.

Speaking for the first time since he sent soldiers to the nation’s parliament – and hours ahead of an impeachment vote he could lose – Mr Yoon said he was “very sorry”.

“The decision was made from the desperation of me as the president,” he told the nation in a three-minute address. “But it gave the people anxiety and inconveniences. I am very sorry and apologise to you.”

He suggested he would not try to avoid blame for the chaos, as opposition parties push for him to face insurrection charges.

“I won’t avoid any legal and political responsibility issues caused by this declaration,” Mr Yoon said.

‘I bow my head and apologise’

Mr Yoon reassured the public that he would not declare martial law for the second time, despite widespread concerns on Friday that he may decide to pull the trigger amid mounting pressure.

“There are talks that martial law might be imposed again, but I state clearly: there will never be anything like a second constitutional crisis,” he said.

Mr Yoon said he would leave “the issue of his tenure” to his party and ended his speech with a bow to the camera.

He added: “I bow my head and apologise once again for any worries I may have caused the people.”

The address comes ahead of a vote on the impeachment motion tabled by the opposition parties at the National Assembly at about 5pm (8am UK) on Saturday.

Minutes after Mr Yoon’s address, the leader of the ruling party, Han Dong-Hoon, said the president could no longer perform his duties normally and that it is “inevitable” that he would have to resign.

Meanwhile, the main opposition Democratic Party is focusing on gathering enough votes to pass the impeachment motion scheduled this afternoon.

Yoon’s party should show courage in vote, say opponents

Leader of the Democratic Party Lee Jae-Myung called on the ruling party lawmakers to “demonstrate courage” by supporting the motion.

“Rather than predicting the outcome, it is imperative that the motion is approved,” he said on Saturday morning, adding that lawmakers must “reflect on why they exist and what their duties are”.

“The people know the necessity of impeachment and are demanding it. PPP lawmakers understand what justice entails, but they are pressured to act against justice and the will of the people,” Mr Lee said.

Analysts say Mr Yoon’s address on Saturday gives the ruling party a reason to oppose the impeachment, which the party has said remains to be their official stance.

“The PPP potentially has the chance to reject impeachment once and see how the people respond,” Benjamin Engel, a visiting professor at Dankook University in South Korea, told The Telegraph.

The impeachment motion needs at least 200 votes to be passed in the National Assembly. Since the opposition parties only have 192 seats in the assembly, they need eight ruling party lawmakers to defect in order to pass the impeachment motion.

So far, only two ruling party lawmakers have publicly vowed to vote in favour of the impeachment motion.

Prof Engel said he expects the opposition parties to keep trying to impeach Mr Yoon if the National Assembly fails to pass the motion on Saturday.

“The opposition party will not relent until impeachment passes and trade unions will likely call for strikes,” he told the Telegraph, adding that political paralysis could be expected if the motion fails to pass later on Saturday.