South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol delivered a defiant address on Thursday, pledging to fight “until the very last minute” as he defended his controversial decision to declare martial law and deploy troops to the country’s parliament last week.

Yoon, who is barred from foreign travel due to an ongoing investigation into his administration, faces an impeachment vote in parliament on Saturday following the dramatic events of December 3-4 that plunged South Korea into one of its worst political crises in years.

“I apologize again to the people who must have been shocked and anxious because of the martial law,” Yoon said in a televised address. “Please trust me. I will fight alongside the people until the very last moment.”

Impeachment Vote Looms
The impeachment vote is scheduled for Saturday at 5:00 PM (0800 GMT). To pass, it will require support from at least eight members of Yoon’s ruling People Power Party (PPP) to secure a two-thirds majority in parliament.

PPP leader Han Dong-hoon called on party members to vote “according to their conviction and conscience” as tensions within the party mounted. Meanwhile, opposition lawmakers warned of legal consequences for Yoon’s staff and security personnel if they continued to obstruct police investigations.

Police made another attempt to raid the presidential office on Thursday, a day after an earlier effort was thwarted by security guards. The opposition Democratic Party has vowed to file charges of insurrection against the president’s aides if law enforcement continues to face resistance.

Intensifying Investigations
South Korea’s capital, Seoul, has been rocked by daily protests since the declaration of martial law, with thousands demanding Yoon’s resignation. Investigations into Yoon’s inner circle have intensified, focusing on their alleged involvement in last week’s events.

Police raided the headquarters of the military’s capital defense command, which played a key role in the martial law operation. Former Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun, accused of encouraging Yoon to impose martial law, attempted suicide in prison earlier this week and remains in custody on charges of insurrection and abuse of authority.

Several other high-ranking officials, including the former interior minister and the general overseeing the martial law operation, have been barred from leaving the country. Two senior police officials were also arrested on Wednesday.

Political Fallout
The PPP announced that Yoon, pending his resignation, had agreed to transfer power to Prime Minister Han Duck-soo and party chief Han. However, Yoon remained defiant, accusing the opposition of creating a “national crisis.”

“The National Assembly, dominated by the opposition, has become a monster destroying the constitutional order of liberal democracy,” Yoon said in his address. He pledged to take responsibility for his decision to impose martial law but defended it as necessary to protect South Korea “from threats posed by North Korea’s communist forces and to eliminate anti-state elements.”

As the impeachment vote approaches, South Korea finds itself at a political crossroads, with the outcome likely to shape the nation’s governance and stability in the years ahead.