South Korea's former defence minister who resigned over President Yoon Suk Yeol's botched bid to impose martial law had ordered the deployment of troops to the parliament, the vice defence minister said on Thursday.
The commander of the martial law troops said he had no intention of wielding firearms against the public, and Mr Kim, the vice defence minister, said no live ammunition had been provided to those troops.
What's next?
The main opposition Democratic Party said on Thursday it plans to vote on a motion to impeach President Yoon at 7pm local time on Saturday, a party spokesperson told reporters.
Former South Korean defence minister Kim Yong-hyun, who resigned over President Yoon Suk Yeol's botched bid to impose martial law, had ordered the deployment of troops to the parliament, the vice-defence minister said.
A senior military official said Mr Kim had personally recommended Mr Yoon to declare the martial law declaration.
South Korean Interior Minister Lee Sang-min also said Mr Kim had suggested declaring martial law to the president.
Mr Kim offered his resignation on Wednesday evening, accepting all responsibility for the stunning turn of events.
The main opposition Democratic Party said on Thursday it planned to vote on a motion to impeach Mr Yoon at 7pm local time on Saturday, a party spokesperson told reporters.
"The Yoon Suk Yeol regime's declaration of emergency martial law caused great confusion and fear among our people," party member of parliament Kim Seung-won told a session of South Korea's National Assembly in the early hours of Thursday.
The ruling People Power Party is divided over the crisis but said it would oppose impeachment with two years left in Mr Yoon's five-year term.
Vice-Defence Minister Kim Seon-ho said the former defence minister had ordered the deployment of troops to the parliament, adding he was unaware of the martial law order until Mr Yoon declared it.
"I have fundamentally opposed the mobilisation of military forces under martial law and have expressed negative opinions about it," Mr Kim told a parliament hearing on Thursday, apologising and taking responsibility for failing to prevent it.
South Korean police have begun investigating President Yoon Suk Yeol for alleged "insurrection" over his declaration of martial law, a senior police officer said on Thursday.
Woo Jong-soo, head of the National Investigation Headquarters of the National Police Agency, told politicians that "the case has been assigned".
Martial law troops did not carry live ammunition
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The impeachment follows a night of chaos after Mr Yoon declared martial law and armed troops attempted to force their way into the National Assembly building in Seoul, only to stand back when parliamentary aides sprayed them with fire extinguishers.
The commander of the martial law troops said he had no intention of wielding firearms against the public, and Mr Kim, the vice-defence minister, said no live ammunition had been provided to those troops.
"The people and the aides who protected parliament protected us with their bodies. The people won, and it's now time for us to protect the people," he said.
"We need to immediately suspend the authority of President Yoon. He has committed an indelible, historic crime against the people, whose anxiety needs to be soothed so that they can return to their daily lives".
The martial law crisis rattled global financial markets and South Korea's benchmark KOSPI index, KS11. Currency dealers reported suspected state intervention on Wednesday to keep the won stable.
Finance Minister Choi Sang-mok sent an emergency note to global financial chiefs and credit rating agencies late on Wednesday to say the ministry was working to alleviate any adverse impact from political turmoil.
If the impeachment bill passes, South Korea's Constitutional Court will then decide whether to uphold the motion — a process that could take up to 180 days.
Prime Minister Han Duck-soo would fill in as leader if Mr Yoon were to be suspended from exercising power. If the embattled president resigned or was removed from office, a new election would be held within 60 days.
Mr Yoon, a career prosecutor, squeezed out a victory in the tightest presidential election in South Korean history in 2022, riding a wave of discontent over economic policy, scandals and gender wars.
But his support ratings have been at around 20 per cent for months and the opposition captured nearly two-thirds of seats in parliament in an April election.