The South Korean leader is facing increasing pressure to resign or be impeached due to the use of martial law.

On Wednesday, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol faced pressure from legislators and the public to resign or be impeached following his decision to end martial law, which resulted in troops surrounding parliament, a move he had announced only hours prior.

The president's Cabinet members, including Defense Minister Kim Yong Hyun, were also facing calls to resign.

On Tuesday night, Yoon declared martial law and vowed to eradicate "anti-state" elements, but the measure was only in effect for six hours as the National Assembly overturned his decision.

At approximately 4:30 a.m., the cabinet meeting formally lifted the martial law.

Lawmakers submitted a motion to impeach the president over his martial law declaration.

Earlier in the day, the Democratic Party, which is the liberal opposition and holds a majority in parliament, threatened to impeach the president if he did not resign immediately.

"The Democratic Party stated that President Yoon Suk Yeol's martial law declaration was a clear violation of the constitution, as it did not adhere to any requirements for declaring it. The party added that the declaration was originally invalid and a grave violation of the constitution, making it a grave act of rebellion and providing perfect grounds for his impeachment."

To impeach the president, two-thirds of the parliament's 300 members must approve it. The Democratic Party and other small opposition parties have a combined total of 192 seats. However, 18 lawmakers from Yoon's ruling People Power Party voted against the president's decision when the parliament rejected Yoon's martial law declaration in a 190-0 vote.

Yoon's martial law declaration was deemed "unconstitutional" by Han Dong-hun, the leader of the People Power Party.

If Yoon is impeached, he will lose his constitutional powers until the Constitutional Court determines his fate. Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, the second-in-command in the South Korean government, will assume the presidential responsibilities.

Despite demands for Yoon's Cabinet to resign, Han urged patience and urged Cabinet members to continue performing their duties after the current moment.

Since the late 1980s, South Korea had not witnessed scenes of military intervention until Yoon's martial law declaration in 2021.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.