South Korean president will survive impeachment vote

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South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol appears set to survive an impeachment motion after a last-minute deal with his conservative People Power party led its members to boycott the vote.

The walkout, which was met with cries of “impeach Yoon!” and “join the vote!” protesters, will intensify political unrest in Asia's fourth-largest economy after a tumultuous week that showed both the country's endurance and fragility. South Korean democracy.

Opposition parties, which control 192 of the National Assembly's 300 seats, were confident earlier this week that they could secure the votes of eight PPP lawmakers and achieve the two-thirds majority required to impeach the president.

But after Yoon's brief apology in a one-minute speech Saturday morning, PPP leaders said they would not support the motion and left the National Assembly chamber.

After voting against a bill to investigate stock manipulation allegations against Yoon's wife, Kim Keon Hee, all but one member of the PPP caucus left the room before the impeachment vote .

Some members returned. The impasse left the vote unresolved and the parliamentary session is expected to continue until after midnight local time.

The walkout sparked dismay among the tens of thousands of people who gathered outside Parliament on Saturday to demand Yoon's departure following his failed attempt to impose martial law on Tuesday.

“I am heartbroken,” said Oh Sang-jin, a 65-year-old retiree participating in the protest outside parliament. “So many people sacrificed their lives to democratize the country. Now they are trying to turn back the clock and enable dictatorship.”

Analysts said Yoon and PPP leaders appeared to have reached an agreement under which the president would hand over political leadership of the country to his party and agree to step down at the party's own time, in exchange for support during the impeachment vote. Yoon's presidential term is expected to last until 2027.

A former official in Yoon's presidential administration said that while most South Korean conservatives did not condone Yoon's actions this week, they were “traumatized” by their experience of the former president's impeachment. conservative President Park Geun-hye in 2017, which paved the way for the election of Yoon's left-wing predecessor Moon Jae-in.

By granting Yoon a stay of execution, they hoped to buy time to prepare for a presidential election once Yoon eventually steps down, she said.

Suh Bok-kyung, a political commentator, said the PPP was “complacent” in thinking a deal with Yoon would quell public anger.

“The public is unlikely to accept any behind-the-scenes deal between Yoon and the party,” Suh said.

“He [Dong-hoon, the PPP leader] may think he has control of the situation, but Yoon is not someone who will let Han dictate things. Once time passes, he will do something more dangerous to regain control.