As South Korean court takes up president's impeachment, ruling party leader resigns

SEOUL -- As South Korea's Constitutional Court began the process of reviewing the impeachment of President Yoon Suk Yeol, the leader of his party, who had supported his impeachment, announced his resignation.

Han Dong Hoon, the leader of Yoon's People Power Party, resigned Monday morning. He had wavered in his support for Yoon, the embattled president who declared a short-lived martial law earlier this month, but, in the end, announced that the party would support impeaching Yoon last week ahead of the vote this weekend.

Han faced strong backlash from his own party for openly supporting impeachment without consulting senior members of the party enough ahead of his announcement last week. The impeachment bill passed Saturday.

Han said he does “not regret supporting the impeachment,” because the emergency martial law was the wrong decision to make.

Yoon, impeached Saturday and stripped of his presidential powers and duties, briefly declared martial law on Dec. 3.

“Defending illegal martial law is a betrayal of the country, the people, the conservative spirit, and the achievements of our party that achieved industrialization and democratization,” Han said Monday.

The constitutional court has up to six months to decide whether to reinstate or formally oust Yoon. Until then, Yoon’s main constitutional powers have been transferred to Prime Minister Han Duck Soo.