South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol on Thursday, December 11, vowed to fight "until the very last minute," defending his shock decision last week to declare martial law and deploy troops to the country's parliament.

"I will fight with the people until the very last minute," Yoon said in a televised address, saying he would "not avoid legal and political responsibility regarding the declaration of martial law."

The address came hours before the main liberal opposition Democratic Party submits a new impeachment motion against Yoon. The opposition party plans to put the motion on a floor vote this Saturday.

Its earlier attempt to impeach Yoon fell through last Saturday, with ruling party lawmakers boycotting a vote at the National Assembly.

Yoon’s December 3 martial law decree has generated political chaos and protests calling for his ouster.

“I will fight to the end, to prevent the forces and criminal groups that have been responsible for paralyzing the country’s government and disrupting the nation’s constitutional order from threatening the future of the Republic of Korea,” Yoon said.

Yoon said his martial law introduction was meant to defend the county’s liberal democracy and constitutional order in the face of the liberal opposition party, which he says threatens the constitution.

Yoon said his martial law decree was an act of governance that cannot be the subject of investigations and doesn’t amount to rebellion.