SEOUL, Dec 8: South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol's future remained uncertain Sunday even after surviving an impeachment vote over his brief imposition of martial law.
Yoon's party killed off an impeachment motion late Saturday even as huge crowds braved freezing temperatures to demand his ouster four days after he sent troops and helicopters to parliament.
But the deeply unpopular president's survival may be short-lived, with Yoon's People Power Party (PPP) saying that it had "effectively obtained (Yoon's) promise to step down" in exchange for blocking his impeachment.
"Through the orderly early resignation of the president, we will minimise the confusion to South Korea and its people, stably resolve the political situation and recover liberal democracy," PPP leader Han Dong-hoon said Sunday.
"Even before the president steps down, he will not interfere in state affairs, including foreign affairs," Han said after a meeting with Prime Minister Han Duck-soo.
The premier vowed to "strengthen the emergency economic response system to closely examine risk factors in the financial and foreign exchange markets and respond promptly".
But the situation might not be sustainable, experts say, with the opposition declaring it will try to impeach Yoon again and calling for his arrest on Sunday, while protests are expected continue until his removal.
"We will have a politically dead president -- basically unable to govern any longer -- and hundreds of thousands coming to the streets every week until Yoon is removed," Vladimir Tikhonov, Korean Studies professor at the University of Oslo, told AFP.
"Starting next week, candlelight protests will attract even larger crowds, the younger generation will rise up, and the PPP, living only for today, will inevitably implode with internal strife," columnist Park Chul-hyun said.
On Saturday before the vote, Yoon, 63, reappeared for the first time in three days and apologized for the "anxiety and inconvenience". He said he would leave it to his party to decide his fate.
Massive crowds -- police said there were 150,000 people, organisers one million -- gathered outside parliament into the evening to pressure lawmakers to oust the president.
Many wore elaborate outfits, carrying home-made flags and waving colourful glow sticks and LED candles as K-pop tunes blasted from speakers.
Meanwhile, South Korea's main opposition party will try again on December 14 to impeach President Yoon Suk Yeol, its leader Lee Jae-myung said Sunday.
"Yoon, the principal culprit behind the insurrection and military coup that destroyed South Korea's constitutional order, must either resign immediately or be impeached without delay," Lee told reporters. "On December 14, our Democratic Party will impeach Yoon in the name of the people." —AFP
