South Korea’s President Yoon Suk Yeol ordered the arrest of his own ruling party leader, Han Dong-hoon, when he declared martial law on Tuesday night.
The arrest list also included the leader of the main opposition party, Lee Jae-myung, and three other opposition lawmakers, according to the National Intelligence Service’s deputy director.
Director Hong Jang-won claimed that the president aimed to “use this opportunity to arrest them and eliminate them.”
This disclosure came as the country’s political parties held emergency meetings on Friday, with members of parliament planning a vote to impeach Yoon.
The main opposition Democratic Party has stated that the vote, scheduled for Saturday, could happen as soon as they secure enough support to pass the motion.
While the opposition holds a majority in the 300-seat parliament, they need the backing of at least eight ruling party MPs to reach the 200 votes required for the impeachment motion to succeed.
In the first clear indication that members of Yoon’s own party might join the opposition, the leader of Yoon’s ruling People Power Party (PPP) called for his swift suspension on Friday, warning that his continued leadership posed a “great danger” to democracy.
Han Dong-hoon, PPP leader, had initially stated that his party would not support the opposition’s impeachment motion.
However, on Friday, he revealed “credible evidence” that Yoon had ordered the arrest of key politicians, including himself, on “anti-state charges” on Tuesday.
Han also claimed that Yoon had intended to imprison the arrested politicians at a detention center in Gwacheon, a city south of Seoul, and expressed concern that such “extreme actions” could be repeated if Yoon remains in power.
“[These are] putting the Republic of Korea and its people at great risk.”
Special forces commander Kwak Jong-kuen on Friday assured parliament he would refuse to follow such an order if martial law was declared again.
Kwak said on Tuesday night he had rejected orders to remove MPs from the assembly floor when they were gathering to vote down the martial law declaration.
“I ordered soldiers not to enter the floor… I ordered that no live ammunition be given out [and] that no harm must come to the civilians,” he said.
Yoon’s attempt to impose martial law shocked the nation and alarmed South Korea’s allies and financial markets.
He cited threats from “anti-state forces” and North Korea as justifications for the move. However, it quickly became clear that his decision was driven more by internal political challenges than external threats.
The martial law order was reversed just hours later after 190 MPs managed to reach parliament and vote against it—some even climbing fences and breaking through barricades to enter the chamber.
Opposition lawmakers are worried about the possibility of another attempt to impose martial law. Some have told the BBC that they have been staying near the National Assembly so they can respond quickly to vote down any future declarations.
Seoul has witnessed more than two days of protests demanding Yoon’s resignation, while police announced they are investigating him for “insurrection.”
South Koreans have been flooding People Power Party (PPP) lawmakers with messages urging them to support Yoon’s impeachment. According to media reports, one MP, Shin Sung-bum, received over 4,000 such messages on Facebook, as reported by The Chosun Daily.
Cho Kyung-tae became the first ruling party MP to publicly support Yoon’s impeachment.
“The choice between standing on the side of the people by suspending the president’s duties or becoming an ally of the forces that imposed martial law is a matter for politicians to judge,” Cho said on Friday.
“I hope that all the politicians of the People’s Power will stand on the side of the people,” he added.
More than seven out of 10 South Koreans were in favour of the impeachment, a survey by local pollster Realmeter showed on Thursday.
Yoon has not been seen or spoken publicly since reversing the martial law order early on Wednesday. A survey conducted from Tuesday to Thursday this week showed his approval rating had tumbled to a record low of 13%.
Before his attempt to place the country under military rule, the president had already been beset by low popularity ratings, corruption allegations and an opposition-led legislature that reduced him to a lame-duck leader.