Title: “Impeachment Proceedings Initiated Against South Korean President, Yoon Suk Yeol”
The South Korean National Assembly has voted in favor of initiating impeachment proceedings against President Yoon Suk Yeol, following his unsuccessful attempt to enforce martial law. This decision has been met with approval from a large number of individuals who had been protesting against Yoon outside the legislative building.
The impeachment proposal will now be forwarded to the Constitutional Court, which holds the power to affirm the parliamentary vote and expel Yoon from the presidential office or reestablish his position.
President Yoon had imposed martial law on December 3 in an attempt to counter perceived threats from North Korea and what he considered anti-national activities propagated by the domestic political opposition. However, the National Assembly nullified this decree within three hours amidst large-scale protests, leading to Yoon revoking the order.
The impeachment motion against Yoon was approved with a majority of 204 votes for and 85 against. After the results, three abstentions and eight invalid ballots were reported out of the total 300 votes cast.
With the delivery of the impeachment resolution to Yoon’s office, he will be relieved of his duties temporarily. In the interim, Prime Minister Han Duck-soo will take on the role of the acting president. Han has assured his utmost effort towards maintaining stability in the government’s functioning.
The impeachment vote was welcomed by an estimated 200,000 anti-Yoon protesters. In contrast, a smaller group of Yoon’s conservative supporters staged a separate protest in another section of Seoul.
The initial attempt to impeach Yoon was unsuccessful due to a boycott by most ruling party lawmakers. The second impeachment motion was brought in by the main opposition Democratic Party and five other minor opposition parties, citing Yoon’s violation of the Constitution and other laws through his declaration of martial law.
If the impeachment is affirmed, Yoon will be the second South Korean president to be deposed, following ex-President Park Geun-hye’s removal in 2017 over corruption charges. In such a scenario, a new presidential election will be called.
In defense of his martial law declaration, Yoon stated that it was a necessary act of governance to protect the nation and restore normalcy in state affairs against a paralyzing opposition, terming it a political judgment. He accused the opposition-heavy National Assembly of disrupting the constitutional order of democracy.
Yoon also claimed that the opposition parties were advocating for lifting sanctions against North Korea and had blocked amendments to anti-espionage laws, despite instances of Chinese nationals filming South Korean military installations.
In response, China’s foreign ministry expressed surprise and dissatisfaction, firmly opposing the allegations made by South Korea. It emphasized that no verdict had been reached in the mentioned cases and that China was maintaining communication with South Korea on these matters.
