South Korea’s parliament votes to censure President Yoon Suk Yeol’s military order

South Korea’s parliament voted on Saturday to impeach President Yoon Suk Yeol over his temporary declaration of martial law, a historic impeachment that was cheered by jubilant crowds who described the result as another bad moment in the nation’s robust democratic journey.

The National Assembly passed the proposal 204-85 with a narrow vote. Yoon’s presidential powers and duties will be suspended and Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, the country’s No. 2 official, will assume his authority once copies of the impeachment document are delivered to Yoon and the Constitutional Court.

The court has up to 180 days to decide whether to dismiss Yoon as president or restore his power. If he is removed from office, a national election to choose his successor must be held within 60 days.

It was the second vote by the National Assembly on the motion to impeach Yoon. Last Saturday, Yoon survived the impeachment vote after most members of the ruling party boycotted the vote. Some People Power Party lawmakers have since announced their intentions to vote for Yoon’s impeachment in a second vote, as public protests against Yoon intensify and his approval rating plummets.

National Assembly Speaker Woo Won Shik said Yoon’s dismissal was a result driven by “the people’s great desire for democracy, courage and dedication.”

Hundreds of thousands of people gathered near the parliament roared with joy, waving banners and banging colorful K-pop sticks, as a leading activist shouted from the stage “We have preserved the constitutional order!”

In the central Seoul plaza, another large crowd of people gathered in support of Yoon, but it was subdued after hearing that Yoon had been indicted. Both the gatherings were peaceful.
Yoon issued a statement saying “he will never lose power” and urged officials to maintain stability in government operations during what he described as a temporary stop as president.

“I hold in my heart all the criticism, encouragement and support directed at me, I will do my best for the country until the last moment,” he said.

Yoon’s Dec. 3 imposition of martial law, the first in more than four decades in South Korea, lasted only six hours, but it caused a major political upheaval, halted diplomatic activity and rallied financial markets. Yoon was forced to lift his decision after parliament voted unanimously to overturn it.

After declaring martial law, Yoon sent hundreds of soldiers and police to parliament to try to prevent a vote on the resolution, before withdrawing after parliament overruled it. No major violence occurred.

Opposition parties and many experts accuse Yoon of sedition, citing the separatist law as a rebellion against established state authorities to undermine the constitution. They also said that South Korea’s president is only allowed to declare martial law in times of war or similar emergencies and has no right to suspend parliament even under martial law.

The pretrial motion said Yoon “committed a rebellion that harmed the peace of the Republic of Korea by causing a series of riots.” It said Yoon’s combination of the military and the police threatened the National Assembly and the public and that his martial law was intended to undermine the constitution.

In a fiery speech on Thursday, Yoon dismissed charges of treason, calling his order an executive action. Conservative Yoon said he intends to issue a warning to the main opposition Democratic Party, which he calls a “monster” and “anti-state forces” who say they have changed their legislative powers to impeach senior officials and undermine the government’s budget bill. next year. He said the military deployment was meant to maintain order, rather than disrupt it.

Democratic Party leader Lee Jae-myung called Yoon’s speech a “crazy declaration of war” against his own people.

Observers said Yoon’s speech suggested a focus on legal preparations to defend his martial law decision at the Constitutional Court, as opinion polls showed more than 70% of South Koreans support his prosecution. A survey released on Friday put Yoon’s approval rating at 11%, the lowest since he took office in 2022.

Some of Yoon’s claims are inconsistent with the testimony of other military commanders whose soldiers were sent to the Assembly.

Most notably, Kwak Jong-keun, the commander of the Army Special Warfare Command, said that after martial law was declared, Yoon called him and asked his soldiers to “break down the door immediately and drag out the law-makers inside.” Kak said he did not follow Yoon’s orders.

The 3rd president was impeached while in office

Yoon is the third South Korean president to be impeached while in office. In 2016, parliament impeached Park Geun-hye, the country’s first female president, in a corruption scandal. The Constitutional Court upheld his impeachment and dismissed him from office.

In 2004, President Roh Moo-hyun was impeached in parliament for alleged election violations but the court overturned the impeachment and restored his presidential powers. Roh died in 2009, after leaving office, amid a corruption scandal involving his family.

Yoon has been barred from leaving South Korea, as law enforcement authorities investigate whether he and others involved in the declaration of martial law are guilty of rebellion, abuse of power and other crimes. If convicted, the leader of the treason plot could face the death penalty or imprisonment.

Yoon has presidential immunity from criminal prosecution but that does not extend to charges of treason or treason. Later, Yoon may be investigated, arrested, detained or charged under his martial law, but many observers doubt that the authorities will detain him by force because of a possible conflict with his presidential security duties.

Yoon’s defense minister, a police chief and the head of the Seoul National Police Agency were arrested for their role in the martial law case. Other senior military and government officials are also under investigation.