South Korea's President Yoon Suk-yeol, who unexpectedly imposed emergency "martial law" on Tuesday night, is set to face impeachment. South Korean lawmakers started the impeachment process against President Yun on Wednesday.

President Yoon along with South Korea implemented martial law to the shock of the world community. But Yun was forced to withdraw martial law within a few hours after opposition from political parties and the public, including his own People's Power Party (PPP). 

Some time after the President's order, the army was mobilized in the country. Soldiers and policemen wearing helmets were deployed in the National Assembly. Some soldiers descended from a helicopter onto the roof of the Parliament building. Local media broadcast footage of masked armed soldiers entering the building and staff using firefighting equipment to prevent them from entering. 

On Tuesday at 11 pm local time, shortly after the president declared martial law, the army issued an order banning the activities of parliament and demonstrations by political groups.

The order also mentioned that the media will be under government control. But South Korea's political parties and lawmakers immediately called Yun's announcement illegal and unconstitutional. Even the leaders of Yunkai's party PPP have said that the President's move is wrong.

 Lee Jae-myung, the leader of the country's largest opposition party, the Democratic Party, called the parliamentarians to gather in parliament to vote against the president's announcement. Apart from that, he also invited the South Korean public to participate in the protest against the President's move to the Parliament premises. Armed soldiers with tacs, guns and knives are ruling the country. Compatriots, please come to the National Assembly (Parliament),” he said.

After Lee's call, thousands of people attended the Parliament building complex. They raised slogans against martial law and autocracy in front of security personnel. Due to the heavy presence of the protesters, the security personnel did not dare to take any immediate action.

MPs entered Parliament House less than two hours after the President's announcement. During that time, the MP was obstructed by the security personnel. But they managed to enter the building by crossing the barricades that were placed to block the way. With the BBC, MP Woo Wan-sik said that he climbed the wall with the help of the protesters and entered the parliament building. 

After that, the parliamentarians voted against the president's decision in a vote in parliament. President Yun's declaration was declared invalid after all 190 MPs present in parliament voted against martial law. After the majority of the 300-member parliament made the decision, President Yun was forced to reverse his decision.

Although President Yun backtracked on his move, lawmakers began impeachment proceedings against him on Wednesday. President Yun claimed that martial law was necessary to protect South Korea from the communist forces of North Korea and defeat anti-state elements. But his decision seems to have been rushed due to internal pressure and a series of scandals rather than external challenges. 

Yun, a staunch traditionalist leader who was elected president in 2022, was already in trouble because of his wife. His wife, Kim Keon Hee, was accused of illegally gifting expensive brand 'bags' and manipulating the stock market. After the news came out, there was a ripple in South Korean politics.

Due to the scandal, UN's party PPP suffered a big defeat in the parliamentary elections held last April. After the opposition party won a wide victory in the elections, his hands and feet were tied. Since then, his government has not been able to pass the desired laws. He vetoed various bills passed by the liberal opposition. 

His popularity was declining due to his involvement in several corruption cases. Recently, Yun apologized on behalf of his wife after growing dissatisfaction within his own party. He then announced the creation of an office to oversee the responsibilities of the 'first wife'. But after refusing the demand for a detailed investigation into the expensive gifts received by his wife, public anger was increasing towards him. 

This week opposition parties proposed to cut major government budget bills that cannot be changed by a vote. In the meantime, the opposition has started the process of impeachment against government ministers and officials including the prosecutors for failing to investigate the first lady. Before declaring martial law on Tuesday night, Yun discussed the opposition's efforts to undermine his government. 

The impeachment motion filed against Yun will be voted on in parliament on Friday or Saturday. If the impeachment is approved by a two-thirds majority of the parliament, Yun will face the case in the Constitutional Court. The 9-member court will take the final decision. If 6 of them are in favor of impeachment, the presidency will be vacant. Within 60 days of that, there is an arrangement to elect a new president. 

The South Korean parliament has 300 members. President Yun's People's Power Party (PPP) has 108 members in the parliament. The opposition Democratic Party has 175 members. The remaining seats belong to other small parties. The ruling PPP has called on the president to quit the party and his entire cabinet and Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun to resign.

Party leader Han Dong-hoon said that the latest developments are being discussed within the party. According to the BBC, although there was an agreement to remove the cabinet and the defense minister, the party did not agree on the removal of Yun. He said that the PPP is also considering the demand of the opposition to impeach Yun. 

Local media reports that Defense Minister Kim Yong-Hyun has resigned from his post but could not be approved by the President. Yonhap news agency reported that an impeachment proposal has also been submitted against Kim. Kim is said to be behind the president's move to impose martial law. The opposition Democratic Party has demanded that Kim be investigated for treason. If convicted in the case, Kim will be sentenced to death or life in prison, according to the Korea Times. 

This is not the first time that the president has faced impeachment in South Korea. Earlier in 2016, President Park Geun-hye was impeached for allegedly helping a friend to extort money. At that time, 234 MPs were in favor of the impeachment motion against Park.