"I am stepping down from my position as party leader," Han said during a press conference.
Han, who had initially vowed to remain in his position despite mounting pressure to step down, was forced to resign after all five of the PPP's elected members, considered to be aligned with him, resigned shortly after the National Assembly voted to impeach Yoon.
He explained that their resignations made it impossible for him to continue fulfilling his duties as party leader under the PPP's internal regulations.
Amid severe internal strife, the PPP had been divided over how to respond to Yoon's short-lived martial law attempt on Dec. 3, which turned into an overnight fiasco several hours later, with most of its lawmakers accusing Han of supporting a parliamentary vote to impeach the president.
Expressing his resentment, Han said, "I sincerely apologize to all the citizens who have suffered" due to the martial law debacle.
But he said that he does not regret supporting Yoon's impeachment, highlighting that he had called for Yoon's suspension from his duties even before the impeachment vote last Saturday.
Han's resignation comes about five months after he was elected as party leader in July. With his resignation, the PPP's floor leader Kweon Seong-dong, elected just last week, will become the acting head of the conservative party.
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