People Power Party leader Han Dong-hoon leaves an emergency general meeting of lawmakers at the National Assembly, Saturday, ahead of a vote seeking to impeach President Yoon Suk Yeol. Newsis

The ruling People Power Party (PPP) has decided to participate in a second vote by the National Assembly, Saturday, on whether to impeach President Yoon Suk Yeol, increasing the likelihood of its passage.

With the vote being conducted anonymously, projections indicate an increase in votes from ruling party lawmakers who privately support impeachment.

The PPP held an emergency meeting at the National Assembly starting at 10 a.m., Saturday, to discuss participation and voting positions.

Emerging from the meeting, Rep. Cho Kyung-tae told reporters, "It seems lawmakers are agreeing to take part in the vote."

The PPP is leaning toward allowing its lawmakers to vote freely on the impeachment motion, scheduled for 4 p.m. on Saturday.

This shift strengthens the likelihood of the impeachment motion passing, although the success of efforts by senior PPP lawmakers to secure opposition votes remains uncertain.

Public sentiment has turned sharply against the president following his controversial national address earlier this week, which many criticized for being evasive and filled with unconvincing arguments. This shift in public opinion has swayed some PPP lawmakers to support the motion.

In his address, Yoon justified his decision to declare martial law as an attempt "to protect the nation's democracy" and accused his political opponents of being "monsters."

A PPP member said internal sentiment within the party suggests that the "defense against impeachment has already collapsed."

With eight votes needed to pass the motion, seven PPP lawmakers have publicly declared their support, and at least three more are believed to favor it unofficially, bringing the estimated total to 10.

However, the anonymous voting process introduces uncertainty. While the combined 192 opposition lawmakers and potential crossover votes seem likely to narrowly exceed the 200-vote threshold, there is still a small chance that the motion could be unexpectedly rejected or receive broader support than anticipated.

If the impeachment motion is passed, Yoon's duties will be immediately suspended, marking the first such instance since the impeachment of former President Park Geun-hye in December 2016.

The impeachment motion accuses Yoon of violating procedural and legal requirements during the declaration of emergency martial law. It labels Yoon as the "ringleader of treason," holding him accountable for actions that could lead to a maximum penalty of death.

This article from the Hankook Ilbo, a sister publication of The Korea Times, is translated by a generative AI and edited by The Korea Times.