Jake Kwon
Reporting from Seoul

Image source, Reuters

Some opposition lawmakers are concerned there will be another attempt to impose martial law, and are staying close to the National Assembly grounds so they can vote down any such declaration.

Lee Seong-yoon, a lawmaker from the main opposition Democratic Party, told me yesterday that the MPs have been rostered into shifts - with about 60 lawmakers per shift - to stay around the assembly's main building "just in case".

South Korea's opposition has a majority of 192 out of 300 seats in parliament. Yoon's martial law declaration on Tuesday was voted down by 190 lawmakers.

President Yoon's martial law declaration "looked like it was a coup" and was "close to insurrection or treason", said Korea-based political analyst Robert Kelly in an interview on the BBC News channel.

Mr Kelly also said impeachment proceedings would move rapidly if President Yoon doesn't resign soon.

Several local media reports say it was outgoing defence minister Kim Yong-hyun who personally suggested the idea of declaring martial law to the president on Tuesday evening.

At a briefing this morning, South Korea's vice defence minister Kim Seon-ho told reporters his former boss had ordered military commanders to enforce the action.

He added that the special forces who had been deployed had no live ammunition.

Interior Minister Lee Sang-min also said on Thursday that Kim Yong-hyun suggested martial law to the president.

Image source, EPA

Here's what we know about Kim Yong-hyun, South Korea's outgoing defence minister who resigned after accepting responsibility for President Yoon's short-lived decision to impose martial law on Tuesday.

Kim, who had only been in his role for a few months, is a retired three-star army general who attended the same high school as Yoon, and has been described by local media as one of the president's long-term confidants.

During his confirmation hearing in September, Kim dismissed accusations from opposition lawmakers that he harboured aspirations to impose martial law over the democratic nation, referring to the claims as "propaganda".

As defence minister, Kim took a hardline stance against North Korea and sought to bolster South Korea's long-term alliance with the US.

Now he could face impeachment alongside Yoon. The opposition Democratic Party has also called for Kim to be investigated for treason, a crime punishable by life in prison or death.

The parliament hearing of Yoon's short-lived plan to impose martial law has just wrapped up. Here's what we learned from testimonies given by key officials:

• Defence minister Kim Yong-hyun - whose resignation was accepted this morning - ordered the deployment of troops to parliament on Tuesday night, according to his deputy Kim Seon-ho
• Park An-su, head of the martial law command, said while he did not write the martial law notice, he was given the text on Tuesday night and asked to send it out
• Park also said that all he did before approving the draft was fix an error with a stated timing, and that he was not aware of the movement of his troops

Tessa Wong & Leehyun Choi
in Seoul

Image source, Reuters

Lawmakers kickstarted a process to impeach Yoon on Wednesday, and in South Korea there is growing support for this move. One poll has found that 73.6% of the public supports impeachment.

We’ve been speaking to Koreans on the ground here in Seoul, and many told us that he must go.

“He wielded the card of martial law, and that should not be something that should be wielded lightly in society, it has huge societal and financial repercussions,” said web developer Marina Kang.

“It has really shattered trust in him… it wasn’t warranted in this situation.”

Others were more forgiving. One student, Yoo Jungwoo, said while he thought Yoon had “put his own people under threat”, he hoped Yoon would focus on improving the lives of citizens and “be given a chance to make amendments in his position without being impeached.”

Still others, who believe Yoon did the right thing, insisted he stay. “Supporters of the current administration need to ensure that Yoon doesn’t get impeached,” said car designer Lee Jae-whan, who called on supporters to rally the public through public demonstrations and social media.

We've just heard testimony from army chief Park An-su, who headed the martial law command on Tuesday night.

Here's what Park has told parliament:

• He is not an expert in martial law
• He did not write the martial law notice
• He was not aware of the movement of his troops
• He did not know troops were deployed to seize the National Election Commission
• He was unaware of how the situation on Tuesday had developed

Now Kim Byeong-ju, a lawmaker from the main opposition Democratic Party, has just asked acting Defence Minister Kim Seon-ho to arrest martial law commander Park An-su for treason.

Kim, who was seated next to Park in parliament, responded by saying he will look into the facts before taking action.

Image source, EPA

More now from Park An-su, the martial law commander, who is answering lawmakers' questions. He appears to be saying he had very little to do with the order on Tuesday night.

"There were four of us who were reviewing the draft... While we are military experts, we are not experts on martial law. Time was passing and we were all saying ‘what are we to do, what are we to do?'

"Then I got a phone call telling me to send the order out,” he told parliament.

He added that all he did before approving the draft of the martial law notice was to fix an error with a stated timing.

When asked if all the commands came from ex-defence minister Kim, Park said he was not aware of movement of the troops and how the situation was developing.

Park An-su, who headed the martial law command, told lawmakers he did not write the martial law notice, which banned freedom of press and political activity.

He says he was given the text on Tuesday night, which he then approved.

Here's more from Kim Seon-ho, the vice defence minister, who said he is opposed to martial law and "greatly saddened and anguished" by the declaration on Tuesday.

“Personally, I’m depleted of spirit... As a vice defence minister, I did not know about the martial law in advance. I could not prevent it. I will bear the responsibility.

"Special forces were deployed but they were not given live rounds," he said in a briefing to lawmakers at an Assembly hearing.

Kim is now acting defence minister, after defence minister Kim Yong-hyun's resignation was accepted earlier today.

The vice defence minister Kim Seon-ho has just told parliament that he only learned about the martial law declaration while watching the news on Tuesday night.

Lawmakers are now grilling army chief Park An-su, the commander of the martial law.

We'll bring you more updates from the hearing ongoing now in the National Assembly as we get them.

Defence minister Kim Yong-hyun - whose resignation was accepted this morning - ordered the deployment of troops to parliament on Tuesday night, South Korea's vice defence minister Kim Seon-ho has said.

He made the comments at a defence ministry briefing taking place right now.

The soldiers had no live ammunition, the vice minister said, in response to questions from lawmakers.

Kim Seon-ho also said he accepts responsibility for failing to stop the martial law declaration.

Image source, Reuters

Opposition lawmakers on Wednesday started proceedings to impeach Yoon, condemning his initial martial law declaration as "insurrectionary behaviour".

Parliament will have to vote on whether to impeach him by Saturday.

Although the opposition has a majority of 192 seats in parliament, it needs at least eight of the 108 ruling party lawmakers to back the motion in order for it to pass.

But Yoon's ruling People Power Party has agreed to oppose his impeachment, according to Yonhap.

Image source, EPA

Yoon on Thursday accepted the resignation of his defence minister, who reportedly proposed the martial law declaration to the president.

Kim Yong-hyun offered to step down yesterday saying he would "take responsibility for all the turmoil".

During his confirmation hearing in September, the retired three-star general rebuffed the opposition's suggestions that he could impose martial law to suppress dissent, calling them "false propaganda".

Yoon has nominated retired four-star general Choi Byung-hyuk, who is currently ambassador to Saudi Arabia, as the new defence minister, reported the local Yonhap news agency.

Welcome to our live coverage of developments in South Korea, just over a day after President Yoon Suk Yeol's short-lived declaration of martial law.

Yoon has been asked to leave by the leader of his own People Power Party - Han Dong-hoon told reporters he had "demanded the president's resignation" from the party.

However the party has indicated that they will not back the impeachment motion brought against him by the opposition.

Yoon has accepted the resignation of defence minister Kim Yong-hyun, who reportedly proposed the martial law declaration to the president. Kim apologised to the cabinet yesterday and offered to step down.

More protests and rallies are happening throughout the country today, with the president - who is now facing impeachment - expected to apologise.

Parliament is expected to vote on whether to impeach Yoon from midnight at the earliest.