South Korea’s Yoon apologises for martial law chaos ahead of impeachment vote

South Korea’s embattled President Yoon Suk-yeol apologised but stopped short of resigning on Saturday over his declaration of martial law, as protesters gathered outside parliament ahead of a crucial impeachment vote that could decide his political fate.

“The declaration of martial law arose from my urgency as the president,” Yoon said in a televised address, the first time he has appeared before the public since plunging the country into political chaos.

“However, in the process, I caused anxiety and inconvenience to the public. I sincerely apologise to the citizens who were greatly distressed.”

“There are rumours that martial law will be invoked again. Let me be clear. There will never be anything like a second martial law,” Yoon said.

Yoon stunned the nation and the international community on Tuesday night by imposing martial law for the first time since 1980 and deploying troops and helicopters to parliament.

But lawmakers managed to vote down the decree, forcing Yoon to rescind the order in the early hours of Wednesday in a night of extraordinary drama in a nation assumed to be a stable democracy.