South Korean lawmakers impeach President Yoon over martial law bid

South Korean lawmakers on Saturday impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol over his failed martial law bid, with the opposition declaring a "victory of the people".

The vote took place as hundreds of thousands took to the streets of Seoul in rival rallies for and against Yoon, who launched a failed attempt to impose martial law on December 3.

Out of 300 lawmakers, 204 voted to impeach the president on allegations of insurrection while 85 voted against. Three abstained, with eight votes nullified.

With the impeachment, Yoon has been suspended from office while South Korea's Constitutional Court deliberates on the vote.

Prime Minister Han Duck-soo is now the nation's interim leader.

The court now has 180 days to rule on Yoon's future.

Two hundred votes were needed for the impeachment to pass, and opposition lawmakers needed to convince at least eight parliamentarians from Yoon's conservative People Power Party (PPP) to switch sides.

"Today's impeachment is the great victory of the people," opposition Democratic Party floor leader Park Chan-dae said following the vote.

A Seoul police official told AFP at least 200,000 people had massed outside parliament in support of removing the president.

On the other side of Seoul near Gwanghwamun square, police estimated 30,000 had rallied in support of Yoon, blasting patriotic songs and waving South Korean and American flags.

"Yoon had no choice but to declare martial law. I approve of every decision he has made as president," supporter Choi Hee-sun, 62, told AFP before the vote.

The South Korean president has vowed to fight on and doubled down on unsubstantiated claims the opposition is in league with the country's communist foes.