South Korea's President a 'great danger' to citizens, his own party says

Members of South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol's own People Power Party (PPP) said the leader posed a "significant risk" to South Korean citizens and called for his powers to be frozen during a party meeting on Friday.

Yoon was likely to engage in "extreme actions, like reattempting to impose martial law, which could potentially put the Republic of Korea and its citizens in great danger,” PPP's leader, Han Dong-hun, said.

“It’s my judgment that an immediate suspension of President Yoon Suk-yeol’s official duties is necessary to protect the Republic of Korea and its people,” Han added.

Han's comments spell trouble for leader Yoon, who is on the verge of losing power as opposition parties push for a parliamentary vote on his impeachment on Saturday.

Yoon briefly imposed a martial law order on South Korea this week, citing the need to "eliminate anti-state forces." As he announced martial law, he accused the country's opposition, the liberal Democratic Party, of sympathising with North Korea.

He reversed course only six hours later after 190 lawmakers forcibly entered the shuttered parliament to vote down the decree.

Opposition parties have called Yoon's martial law order “unconstitutional, illegal rebellion or coup.” They will need the support of two-thirds of the parliament to pass an impeachment motion and remove Yoon from power.

Elsewhere, Han said he received intelligence that Yoon had ordered one of the country's top intelligence commanders to arrest other politicians during the brief period he imposed a martial law order on the country.

His account was questioned by South Korea's spy agency director, Cho Tae-yong, who insisted that such an order would come to him and that he didn't receive any orders from Yoon to