South Korean lawmakers vote to impeach President Yoon Suk-yeol

South Korea's National Assembly on Saturday passed a motion to impeach President Yoon Suk-yeol on allegations of insurrection amid the ongoing fallout from a recent failed attempt to impose martial law in the country.

The motion passed with 204 votes in favor, surpassing the 200-vote threshold, according to Yonhap News Agency.

In a televised address following the vote, Yoon said he would "step aside," urging an end to the "politics of excess and confrontation."

"Though I must now step aside for a while, the journey toward the future ... must never come to a stop," he said.

The parliament procedure was held as hundreds of thousands came out in the streets of Seoul either voicing their support for or protesting against Yoon, whose failed attempt to impose martial law on December 3 plunged the country into a political upheaval.

It also came a week after the first impeachment vote was scrapped due to a lack of quorum, with most of Yoon's ruling People Power Party (PPP) boycotting the motion.

Ahead of Saturday's vote, the party signaled its decision not to boycott the vote but to continue opposing the motion. Eighty-five out of the 300 lawmakers voted against it, while others abstained or did not vote at all.

The opposition needed at least eight lawmakers from the PPP to flip sides to pass the motion.

Park Chan-dae, floor leader of the main opposition Democratic Party, hailed the impeachment as a "victory of the people."

Prime Minister Han Duck-soo will assume the role of the country's interim leader as Yoon is now suspended from office as a result of the impeachment.

Yoon had previously vowed to "fight until the very last minute," even as the leader of his own party openly expressed frustration over his lack of willingness to resign. 

His future will be decided by the Constitutional Court within 180 days. If the court upholds the impeachment, Yoon would become the second president in South Korea's history to be formally removed.