Yoon's defiant speech galvanised protesterspublished at 08:00 Greenwich Mean Time

08:00 GMT

Jean Mackenzie
Seoul correspondent

Image source, EPA

This has been an incredibly unsettling week for South Koreans. It has not been clear who has been running the country. For most of the week, the president was in hiding, until he came out on Thursday and gave a defiant speech, defending his decision to impose martial law. He refused to resign and said he was going to fight to the end.

That speech has galvanised people. They are now even more determined to see him gone. Only 11% of the public still support him.

South Korea’s democracy is riding on this vote. Yoon has challenged its democracy more than it has ever been challenged before in its short 35-year history. Protesters are desperately hoping that their politicians will act in accordance with their wishes today.

Leehyun Choi
Reporting from Seoul

Image source, BBC/Leehyun Choi

Protesters outside the National Assembly are now belting out a traditional, labour anthem "March for Our Beloved".

This tune was written in 1981 to commemorate democratic activists who were killed during the Gwangju protests in 1980.

Earlier, we also heard the protesters sing "Into the New World" by K-pop girl band SNSD.

This song became a national protest anthem during the 2016 impeachment of Park Geun-hye.

It is known to have been first sung in a subversive, political context by students demonstrators at Ewha Women's University students in confrontation with the police. Since then, it's been sung at various protests.

The speaker has announced that all 300 lawmakers had cast their votes. Their ballots are being counted now.

Richard Kim
BBC Korean

Just before the session started, PPP lawmaker Yoon Sang-hyun told the BBC that the PPP general meeting did not offer much insight into how ruling party lawmakers will vote.

"The decision to reject the bill was made and there were no heated debates during the general meeting," he said.

"I truly have no idea," he said of the expected vote result. "No additional lawmakers have voiced support for the bill, so I genuinely don’t know how the vote will go."

The impeachment of a president is not uncharted territory for South Korea, which last removed a president through this process in 2016. Ironically, Yoon - then a prosecutor - had led the probe against former president Park Geun-hye, which ultimately resulted in her impeachment.

First an impeachment bill needs to be tabled by a majority of lawmakers in the National Assembly -as the Democratic Party had done earlier.

Then, at least two-thirds of the National Assembly has to vote in favour of the motion - the magic number is 200. Opposition lawmakers need at least eight votes from Yoon's camp.

If the motion passes in parliament, the president is suspended and a trial is held before the Constitutional Court. If six of the court's nine members vote to sustain the impeachment, the president is removed from office.

As lawmakers cast their votes, Korean media outlets are saying they expect the result to come out in less than an hour, around local time 17:30 (8:30 GMT).

As a reminder, the opposition's motion will need at least eight defection votes from the ruling People Power Party to pass.

Leehyun Choi
Reporting from Seoul

Protesters outside the National Assembly were sitting in silence, listening to the live-broadcast presentation of the impeachment bill. It was quiet save for a handful of pro-Yoon protesters on the sidelines yelling abuse.

But as voting proceeds, demonstrators have begun roaring with the chant: "Impeach Yoon!", "Pass the impeachment bill!"

Voting has begun as lawmakers line up in the chamber to cast their votes in curtained booths.

The orderliness of the ongoing vote is a stark contrast from last weekend, when ruling party lawmakers walked out en masse to boycott the previous vote, sparking chaos in the chamber as opposition lawmakers tried to stop them.

Park, the Democratic Party's floor leader, adds that the situation in South Korean now is "sending shockwaves" to the country's economy and diplomacy.

The US and other countries are "expressing grave concerns" over what's been happening in South Korea.

"So by impeaching, we have to show the world that democracy is working as it should be.

"Fellow lawmakers, this is our last chance," he said.

Park's speech has now wrapped up, and the voting process is beginning.

Image source, BBC/Richard Kim

The declaration of martial law on 3 Dec is "not only unconstitutional and unlawful, but it is also a breaching of [South Korea's] popular sovereignty," said Democratic Party floor leader Park Chan-dae.

"Yoon Suk Yeol is the ringleader of this insurrection as he himself checked the process and progress of what was happening, and he directed [those involved]".

"Impeachment of Yoon Suk Yeol is the only way to recover the constitutional order," he said, adding later that Yoon is "delusional".

"If we do not suspend him from his duties, we do not know what will happen next," he said.

The session has begun with the opposition Democratic Party's parliamentary floor leader Park Chan-dae, who introduces the impeachment bill.

"At 22:30 on 3 December, the heart of democracy stopped," he said, in reference to Yoon's martial law declaration. He added that it reminded him of martial law during the 1980 Gwangju protests, a landmark event in South Korean history that saw violent clashes and left many dead.

Following the entrance of PPP members, the speaker of the National Assembly has announced the session has begun.

"I hope every one of you will participate in the vote," says Speaker Woo Won-shik.

MPs from the six opposition parties, whose coalition is the majority in the National Assembly, have entered the chamber for the vote now.

Stay with us for updates - the vote is imminent.

The general meeting of the ruling People Power Party has ended after about six hours.

A party spokesperson tells reporters that the party will participate in the impeachment vote now. This represents an about-face from last Saturday, when the party boycotted the first impeachment vote .

While the party's official stance remains opposed to Yoon's impeachment, party leader Han Dong-hoon has told members to vote according to their "conscience".

We're just minutes away from the vote taking place in the National Assembly, and President Yoon is likely to be watching the results from his official residence in Hannam-dong, Korean media reports.

If the impeachment motion is passed, he will be immediately suspended from his duties.

The vote is also likely being closely watched by the office of South Korean Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, since Han will immediately assume the role of acting president if the vote passes.

According to local media reports, several senior staff members from his team went to work this morning.

Image source, Getty Images

Richard Kim
BBC Korean reporter

As the impeachment vote approaches, ruling party lawmakers are still in their marathon meeting, while members of the main opposition Democratic Party (DP) have gathered on the steps of the rotunda outside the main chamber, chanting in support of the impeachment motion.

Supporters cheered and applauded as DP leader Lee Jae-myung entered the National Assembly building, chanting his name.

DP lawmaker Kim Byung-joo, told the BBC he believes the impeachment motion will succeed today, saying "it is the will of the people".

Meanwhile, the Justice Party, a minor opposition party, held a press conference, calling for the immediate arrest of President Yoon and urging support for the impeachment.

Image source, BBC/Richard Kim

Suhnwook Lee & David Oh
BBC Korean Service reporters

Among the thousands gathered today in front of the National Assembly are many mums and dads with young children.

They have a unique shelter provided for them: the Kids Bus.

One mum, who had originally planned to use a bus for a trip with her two-year-old daughter Jiwoo, decided to repurpose the vehicle to provide a temporary shelter for children and parents.

“I was at a rally previously but found it difficult to change diapers and feed my child,” she explains. So she took it upon herself to set up this space. With support from citizens, the number of buses grew to three, and donations of diapers, formula, snacks, and other supplies poured in.

Park Hyun-jung, who used the Kids Bus at the rally, said: “Thanks to it, I was able to change diapers and escape the cold.”

President Yoon's approval rating has tumbled to a record low of 11%, a poll showed on Friday, down from 13% a week ago.

The poll by Gallup Korea surveyed over 1,000 adults. Three in four of them said they support the president's impeachment, up from 73% in last week's poll.

Negative assessment of Yoon rose to a record high of 85% among respondents, with at least half citing his short-lived martial law attempt as a reason for their assessment.

Koh Ewe
Live page reporter

Their call for Yoon's impeachment may be serious, but protesters have not shied away from showing their irreverent side. Many have showed up with quirky flags representing fictitious associations.

The popularity of such flags is said to have started during the 2016 protests against former president Park Geun-hye. At that time, critics cast doubt on protesters, arguing that they did not belong to major political organisations - which inspired protesters to invent their own associations.

Here are some of the best ones seen by our reporters Jake Kwon and Leehyun Choi in Seoul today:

Image source, BBC/Jake Kwon

Image source, BBC/Jake Kwon

Image source, BBC/Jake Kwon

The BBC also saw a man who identified himself as a representative from the "National Coalition of People Who Want to Stay Lying Down".

"Don't you all want to finish this quick, go home, and lie down?" he shouted to a cheering crowd. "We can't wait to go back home and lie down. But we're here today committed to see President Yoon impeached."

Image source, BBC/Jake Kwon

Yuna Ku
BBC Korean

Image source, BBC/Yuna Ku

Protesters at a pro-Yoon rally are forming a long line from Gwanghwamun to Seoul's City Hall. Some 30,000 participants are expected to show up, according to reports.

“Save President Yoon," some people are chanting, "Get rid of North Korean sympathisers". Others have also called for the arrest of opposition leader Lee Jae-myung.

Most of the protesters are elderly, but I have also seen several young people among them.

When I was on the subway earlier, an old man could be heard shouting inside the train, “The impeachment bill should be rejected. That’s for our country.”

Image source, BBC/Yuna Ku