South Korean opposition leader Lee Jae-myung said on Friday that impeaching President Yoon Suk Yeol would be the best way to restore order in the country. 

Lee, who leads the Democratic Party, said "impeachment is the fastest and the most effect way to end the confusion." 

"What the lawmakers must protect is neither Yoon nor the ruling People Power Party but the lives of the people wailing out in the freezing streets," Lee said. 

"History will remember and record your decision," he added, calling upon parliamentarians to vote yes in the impeachment proceedings.

Second impeachment vote looms

Yoon's already-low approval ratings have plummeted as people have taken to the streets demanding his resignation.

South Korea's parliament is set to vote on Saturday on whether to impeach Yoon over his short-lived attempt to impose martial law on December 3. 

The decision was walked back only six hours after the announcement, but South Korea has been plunged into a crisis, as many want Yoon to step down. 

Yoon has refused to step down and said he will "fight to the end."

Last week, an attempt to remove him failed as the ruling People Power Party (PPP) blocked the impeachment vote.

The new impeachment vote will be held on Saturday at 4 p.m. local time (0700 GMT). Two hundred votes are needed for the motion.

If the motion passes, the case will move on to the Constitutional Court. Yoon would be suspended while the decision of the court is awaited.

Yoon is also under criminal investigation for alleged insurrection.

tg/zc (AFP, Reuters)