Anchor: The leader of the ruling party says swift action is needed to suspend President Yoon Suk Yeol’s powers. Han Dong-hoon of the People Power Party said at a party leadership meeting that Yoon ordered the arrests of prominent politicians during his aborted martial law attempt, adding that the president might take drastic action again if he stays in office. 
Kim Bum-soo has more. 

Report: Ruling People Power Party Chair Han Dong-hoon says President Yoon Suk Yeol needs to be promptly suspended from his duties. 

Claiming that Yoon wanted to arrest key politicians when he declared martial law Tuesday night, Han argued that the nation is at risk of yet another debacle if the president is not contained. 

[Sound bite: People Power Party Chair Han Dong-hoon (Korean-English)]
“I said yesterday that efforts would be made to block the passage of the current  impeachment motion, in a bid to protect the public and supporters from chaos that they are ill prepared for. However, given facts that have newly emerged, I think President Yoon Suk Yeol needs to be suspended swiftly in order to protect the people.”

Han revealed his stance Friday morning during an emergency meeting of his party’s Supreme Council, a day ahead of a planned vote at the National Assembly on a motion to impeach the president.

[Sound bite: People Power Party Chair Han Dong-hoon (Korean-English)]
“[President Yoon] is not admitting that [declaring] illegal martial law was a mistake. Thus, if President Yoon continues to carry out his presidential duties, there is a great risk that another extreme action like the martial law declaration will take place, and that could put South Korea and its people in danger.”

The ruling party chief said he has confirmed that the president ordered his defense counterintelligence commander to arrest prominent politicians and detain them at a facility in Gwacheon, Gyeonggi Province.

Defense Counterintelligence Commander Yeo In-hyung denied receiving any such orders from the president.

However, later in the day, First Deputy Director Hong Jang-won of the National Intelligence Service told lawmakers that the counterintelligence commander asked him to locate the leaders of the ruling and main opposition parties, the parliamentary speaker and other key politicians so they could be arrested. 

What exactly happened during the six hours the country was under martial law remains unclear, but the impeachment vote is quickly approaching Saturday. 

Analysts agree that Han’s influence over the ruling party is tenuous, in the face of a pro-Yoon faction that may still prove loyal to the president even after the events of this past week.

But with the pan-opposition believed to have secured a total of 192 votes, only eight more ballots from the ruling People Power Party are needed to form a two-thirds majority and remove Yoon.
Kim Bum-soo, KBS World Radio News.

Anchor lead out: Later on Friday, ruling party chief Han Dong-hoon met with President Yoon Suk Yeol. In the party meeting that followed, Han told lawmakers that Yoon said nothing to change Han’s stance.