South Korean lawmakers have voted to impeach President Yoon Suk Yeol following his controversial declaration of martial law earlier this month.
In a decisive move, 204 out of 300 lawmakers in the National Assembly voted in favor of the impeachment, surpassing the 200 votes required. The remaining 85 lawmakers opposed the motion.
On December 3, President Yoon declared emergency martial law, citing the need to protect the country’s constitutional order. The announcement, made in a live televised address, accused opposition lawmakers, who hold a majority in parliament, of attempting to destabilize the government by allegedly collaborating with North Korea.
“The opposition is working to paralyze the government with its anti-state activities,” Yoon stated during his address, warning of a looming national crisis.
The martial law declaration sparked mass protests nationwide, with citizens demanding Yoon’s resignation. The National Assembly responded by convening an emergency session, ordering the military to stand down, and initiating an impeachment motion.
Although Yoon’s party, the People Power Party (PPP), initially boycotted the voting process, preventing a successful impeachment in the first attempt, public outcry continued to grow.
While Yoon rescinded the martial law order just six hours later, critics argued the damage was already done, pushing the country into a constitutional crisis.
In a second impeachment attempt, lawmakers accused Yoon of insurrection and “abandoning his duty to protect the constitution.” This time, the motion succeeded, with the Democratic Party (DP) and its partners managing to convince at least eight members of Yoon’s PPP to join the impeachment vote.
Following the impeachment, Prime Minister Han Duck-soo will serve as acting president while the Constitutional Court deliberates the case. The court, which has up to 180 days to reach a decision, currently operates with only six of its nine justices.
For the impeachment to be upheld, all six justices must unanimously agree. Until then, Yoon will remain in office but with limited powers. If the court confirms the impeachment, a presidential election must be held within 60 days.
If the impeachment is finalized, Yoon will become the third South Korean president to face such a fate, following Roh Moo-hyun in 2004 and Park Geun-hye in 2017. While Roh was reinstated by the court, Park’s impeachment was upheld, leading to her removal from office.
South Korea now waits as the Constitutional Court reviews Yoon’s case, with the nation’s political stability hanging in the balance.
