The President of South Korea has apologized for the imposition of martial law.

“I am very sorry. I sincerely apologize to the people who were extremely frightened,” said Yoon in a statement from the presidential office, as quoted by Yonhap.

Yoon explained that the declaration of martial law was prompted by “the president’s despair, who is responsible for state affairs.” He promised not to evade legal and political responsibility for his actions and emphasized that there will “definitely not be” a second declaration of martial law, reports KBS.

On December 7, the parliament is expected to vote on the impeachment bill against the president, which was previously introduced by the opposition. Opposition parties believe that Yoon attempted a coup. The ruling party has deemed the president's resignation inevitable.

Yoon announced the imposition of martial law “to combat internal supporters” of North Korea on Tuesday, December 3. The decree, which lasted for six hours, prohibited the operation of political parties, protests, strikes, imposed censorship, and established military field tribunals with the authority to impose the death penalty.

More than five thousand protesters, according to opposition estimates, gathered outside the parliament building. During the military's storming of the building, deputies voted to overturn the president's decision. Following this, he was legally obliged to rescind the decree. Key officials, including Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun, resigned.