South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol vowed to defend his position after being impeached in a second vote by the opposition-controlled parliament, following his short-lived attempt to impose martial law, a move that stunned the nation and sent shockwaves through the political landscape.
The Constitutional Court will now have up to six months to decide whether to uphold the impeachment and remove Yoon from office. If the court rules in favor of his ouster, a snap election will be triggered.
Prime Minister Takes Over as Acting President
In the meantime, Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, appointed by Yoon, assumed the role of acting president, while Yoon remains in office but with his presidential powers suspended. Han, speaking to reporters after the vote, pledged to stabilize the administration during this turbulent period. “I will give all my strength to stabilize the government,” Han said.
Yoon is the second conservative president in South Korea to be impeached in recent years, following the removal of Park Geun-hye in 2017. Yoon narrowly avoided impeachment last weekend, when his party largely boycotted the vote, depriving parliament of the quorum needed for the measure to pass. However, this latest impeachment motion has placed his presidency in jeopardy.
Yoon, a political survivor who has weathered numerous challenges during his presidency, expressed defiance after the vote, saying, “Although I am halting my actions for now, the journey I have walked with the people over the past two and a half years toward the future must never come to a halt. I will never give up.” He has faced mounting personal scandals, a vocal opposition, and growing divisions within his own party, all of which have weakened his position.
Impeachment Motion Clears Key Threshold
The impeachment motion passed after at least 12 members of Yoon’s People Power Party broke ranks, joining the opposition parties, which hold 192 seats in the 300-member National Assembly. The vote cleared the two-thirds threshold needed for impeachment, with 204 votes in favor, 85 against, three abstentions, and eight invalid ballots.
The controversy began on December 3, when Yoon shocked the nation by granting the military sweeping emergency powers to combat what he described as “anti-state forces” and to overcome political opposition. He rescinded the decree less than six hours later after a defiant parliament voted against it, but the move plunged the country into a constitutional crisis. Calls for Yoon’s resignation grew as critics argued the declaration violated the law.
In his defense, Yoon argued that the martial law decree was necessary to protect South Korea from political deadlock and to safeguard democracy from domestic politicians. However, his decision sparked mass protests, including large demonstrations outside parliament calling for his impeachment.
In a speech on Thursday, Yoon reiterated his stance, vowing to “fight to the end” and defending his actions as essential for overcoming political gridlock. He also faces criminal investigation for alleged insurrection related to the martial law decree and has been banned from leaving the country.
Opposition Democratic Party leader Lee Jae-myung addressed the crowds of protesters near parliament, telling them, “You, the people, made it happen. You are writing a new history.” The demonstrators, who braved freezing temperatures to join the rally, cheered and waved LED lights as the impeachment vote passed.
The impeachment motion succeeded after 12 members of Yoon’s party voted with the opposition, tipping the balance in favor of the measure. The vote saw 204 lawmakers support the motion, 85 oppose it, three abstain, and eight ballots declared invalid.
Yoon’s legal and political battles are far from over, as his fate now rests with the Constitutional Court. Should the court uphold the impeachment, South Korea could face a snap election, adding further uncertainty to the country’s political landscape.
