South Korea’s Parliament Passes Impeachment Motion Against President Yoon

Summary:

• South Korea’s parliament passed a second impeachment motion against President Yoon Suk Yeol with 204 votes in favor and 85 against, suspending his duties immediately. The resolution was sent to the Constitutional Court, which will review the impeachment on Monday.

---

South Korea’s parliament passed a second impeachment motion against President Yoon Suk Yeol on Saturday, with 204 lawmakers in favor and 85 against. This follows the dismissal of the first impeachment motion just a week prior, which had been abandoned after lawmakers from the ruling party boycotted it.

Following the passage of the motion, the impeachment resolution was forwarded to both the President’s Office and the Constitutional Court, immediately suspending Yoon’s presidential duties. Once the resolution was delivered to his office, Yoon’s powers were suspended, and Prime Minister Han Duck-soo assumed the role of acting president until the Constitutional Court delivers its final ruling.

The Constitutional Court announced it would hold a session on Monday morning to review the impeachment, with Moon Hyung-bae, the court’s acting head, promising a swift and impartial trial. If the court upholds the impeachment, a snap election would be scheduled within 60 days. If rejected, Yoon would be reinstated as president.

Prime Minister Han expressed his commitment to ensuring the smooth running of government affairs during this period, despite facing criticism, along with other key cabinet members, regarding their involvement in Yoon’s controversial actions, including the alleged declaration of martial law.

Park Chan-dae, the floor leader of the opposition Democratic Party of Korea, described the impeachment as merely the “first step” in addressing the aftermath of Yoon’s December 3 martial law declaration. He vowed to press for a thorough investigation into Yoon and any others involved in the alleged insurrection.

This marks the third presidential impeachment in South Korea’s modern history. Former President Park Geun-hye was removed from office by the Constitutional Court in 2017, while former President Roh Moo-hyun was reinstated after his impeachment in 2004.

The court has up to 180 days to decide on impeachment cases but took 63 days to rule on Park’s case and 91 days for Roh’s. Under South Korea’s constitution, at least six of the nine Constitutional Court judges must approve the impeachment for it to be finalized. With the current court having only six judges, unanimous approval would be required to remove Yoon. The Democratic Party, which holds a parliamentary majority, has indicated that it will soon fill the vacant judicial positions.

Yoon has been named a suspect in an insurrection case and is the first sitting president in South Korea to be barred from leaving the country, raising the possibility of his detention. In a televised address following the impeachment vote, Yoon vowed to continue serving South Korea, asserting, “I will not give up.”

In a speech earlier this week, Yoon defended his martial law declaration as an act of governance intended to safeguard against the “legislative dictatorship” of the opposition. Legal experts have suggested that his defense may hinge on the argument that declaring martial law was within his constitutional authority and did not constitute an illegal act or insurrection. Yoon also stated that the deployment of troops to the National Assembly was meant to maintain order, not to dissolve or disrupt it.

Yoon’s approval rating has plummeted, according to a recent Gallup Korea poll, which shows a 5-percentage-point drop, bringing it to a record low of 11%, the lowest since his inauguration.

DT