Its president South Korea Yoon Suk-yeol on Thursday defended his decision to declare martial law last week and said he would not step down as a second impeachment effort gathered momentum.

The leader of Yun’s conservative People’s Power Party earlier on Thursday made the clearest push for the president’s impeachment, saying it is the only effective way to remove Yun from power.

Support within the party for Yun’s removal grew this week, but it is not yet clear whether there will be enough defections for the next impeachment motion to pass on Saturday.

Amid mounting pressure, Yun delivered a taped speech on Thursday, only his second appearance since his failed Dec. 3 attempt to impose martial law.

He challenged lawmakers to prosecute or investigate him, saying he stands by his actions and stands ready to defend them. “I will fight until the end”Yun said in his speech, which was televised and lasted about 30 minutes.

When he appeared last Saturday, before the first vote on his impeachment, he spoke for just two minutes to apologize to citizens who experienced “anxiety and inconvenience” because of his decision.

But on Thursday, Yun spoke at length to explain his position, saying the declaration of martial law was a necessary act to warn opposition lawmakers, who he believed were paralyzing the government for political gain.

Yun said his decision to declare martial law stemmed from his growing frustration with political gridlock in the National Assembly over a range of issues, from the opposition’s response to security threats from North Korea to budget cuts.

With his proclamation on December 3, Yun sent troops into the National Assembly in an unsuccessful attempt to prevent lawmakers from entering the voting chamber and overturning his decree. The lawmakers’ vote and an outpouring of public anger forced Yun to back down just six hours later.

The South Korean president is now under multiple investigations over his actions that night, including by the police, the corruption watchdog and the National Assembly.

The head of the High-ranking Corruption Investigation Agency said on Wednesday that he would not hesitate to seek Yun’s arrest if prosecutors found enough evidence to charge him with sedition.

A police task force tried to break into Yun’s offices on Wednesday, but was thwarted by a standoff with the presidential secret service and left with little.

The president has been banned from leaving the country while investigations continue.

In his speech on Thursday, Yun rejected claims that his actions amounted to rebellion, saying he intended to “borrow the form of martial law” to “inform the people of our nation’s crisis and protect and restore the constitutional order”.

Yun argued that declaring martial law was different from those of authoritarian leaders in the past.

“How is it possible to have a two-hour riot? Are you really saying that the short deployment of a small number of soldiers to maintain order is tantamount to rebellion?” Yun stated.

Still, his decision brought back painful memories of South Korea’s past under strong dictatorships, when leaders invoked martial law to quell political dissent.