Prospects for President Yoon's impeachment darken as ruling party boycotts vote

Most ruling party lawmakers boycotted a parliamentary vote Saturday to reject the two-thirds majority sought by the opposition for impeachment. President Yoon Suk Yeol because of his short-lived imposition of martial law, as protests grew across the country calling for his removal.

The likely defeat of the motion is expected to intensify public protests calling for Yoon's ouster and deepen political chaos in South Korea, with a poll suggesting a majority of South Koreans support impeaching the president. Yoon's declaration on martial law has drawn criticism from his own ruling conservative party, but it is also determined to oppose Yoon's impeachment, apparently because it fears losing the presidency to the liberals.

Yoon's impeachment would require the support of two-thirds of the National Assembly, or 200 of its 300 members. The opposition parties that tabled the impeachment motion have 192 seats, meaning they need at least eight more votes from Yoon's People Power Party.

The opposition-controlled Parliament began voting earlier on Saturday, but only three PPP MPs participated along with opposition members. If the number of deputies who voted does not reach 200, the motion will be abandoned at midnight, according to the National Assembly. Opposition parties could submit a new impeachment motion after the opening of a new parliamentary session next Wednesday.

National Assembly Speaker Woo Won Shik urged ruling party members to return to the chamber to participate in the vote, stressing that it was being closely watched by the nation but also by the world.

“Don’t make shameful judgments and vote based on your beliefs,” Woo said. “I beg you, for the future of the Republic of Korea.”

Earlier Saturday, Yoon issued a public apology on the decree of martial law, affirming that he will not shirk legal or political responsibility for this declaration and promising not to make another attempt to impose martial law. He said he would leave it to his party to chart a path forward through the country's political turmoil, “including issues related to my tenure.”

“The declaration of this martial law was born out of my despair. But in the course of its implementation, it has caused anxiety and inconvenience to the public. I am truly sorry for this and sincerely apologize to the people who must have been very shocked,” Yoon said.

Since taking office in 2022, Yoon has struggled to push his agenda through an opposition-controlled parliament and has struggled with low approval ratings amid scandals involving himself and his wife. In his martial law announcement Tuesday night, Yoon called Parliament a “den of criminals” that bogs down state affairs and vowed to eliminate “shameless North Korea supporters and anti-North Korea forces.” states”.

The turmoil resulting from Yoon's bizarre and poorly thought-out move has South Korean politics paralyzed and has sparked concern among key diplomatic partners, including neighboring Japan and Seoul's main ally, the United States, as one of Asia's strongest democracies faces a political crisis that could topple its leader.

On Tuesday evening, special forces troops surrounded the parliament building and army helicopters flew overhead, but the army withdrew after the National Assembly voted unanimously to cancel the decree, requiring Yoon to raise it before dawn on Wednesday. THE declaration of martial law was the first of its kind in over 40 years in South Korea. Eighteen ruling party lawmakers voted to reject Yoon's martial law decree, alongside opposition lawmakers.

Passage of the motion to impeach Yoon appeared more likely on Friday when the chairman of Yoon's party called for his impeachment on Friday, but the party remained formally opposed to impeachment.

Tens of thousands of people flooded the streets near the National Assembly on Saturday, waving banners, shouting slogans and dancing and singing K-pop songs whose lyrics were altered to call for Yoon's ouster . A smaller crowd of Yoon supporters, which still appeared to number in the thousands, gathered in separate streets of Seoul, denouncing the impeachment attempt as unconstitutional.

Lawmakers on Saturday voted for the first time on a bill appointing a special prosecutor to investigate allegations of stock price manipulation involving Yoon's wife. Some MPs from Yoon's party were seen leaving the room after the vote, sparking angry shouts from opposition MPs.

If Yoon is impeached, his powers will be suspended until the Constitutional Court decides to remove him from office. If he is removed, an election for his replacement must take place within 60 days.

Opposition lawmakers say Yoon's attempt to impose martial law amounts to a self-coup and have framed the impeachment motion around accusations of rebellion.

Lee Jae-myung, head of the Democratic Party, the main liberal opposition party, told reporters that Yoon's speech was “very disappointing” and that the only path forward was his immediate resignation or impeachment.

Friday, Han Dong-hun, chairman of the PPP, who criticized Yoon's declaration of martial law, said he received intelligence that during the brief period of martial law, Yoon ordered the country's defense counterintelligence commander to stop and detaining unspecified key politicians on charges of “anti-state activities.”

Hong Jang-won, first deputy director of South Korea's National Intelligence Service, told lawmakers in a closed-door news briefing Friday that Yoon called after he imposed martial law and ordered him to help the defense counterintelligence unit to arrest key politicians. The targeted politicians included Han, Lee and Woo, according to Kim Byung-kee, one of the lawmakers present at the meeting.

The Defense Ministry said it had suspended defense counterintelligence commander Yeo In-hyung, who Han said had received orders from Yoon to arrest the politicians. The ministry also suspended the commanders of the Capital Defense Command and the Special Warfare Command over their involvement in enforcing martial law.

Ancient Defense Minister Kim Yong Hyun, who has been accused of recommending that Yoon implement martial law, has been placed under a travel ban and is being investigated by prosecutors on charges of rebellion.

Vice Defense Minister Kim Seon Ho told parliament that it was Kim Yong Hyun who ordered the deployment of troops to the National Assembly after Yoon imposed martial law.