South Korean lawmakers voted on Saturday to impeach President Yoon Suk Yeol through a second impeachment motion, amid ongoing investigations into accusations of rebellion related to his controversial martial law decree issued on December 3.
The vote included all 300 members of the National Assembly, with 204 legislators supporting the impeachment, surpassing the 200-vote threshold needed for approval. Just the previous week, President Yoon narrowly avoided impeachment when many members of the ruling People Power Party (PPP) chose to boycott the session.
Public protests against his leadership have intensified, leading to a significant drop in his approval ratings as thousands rallied in Seoul for both his support and opposition. Discussions on impeachment were sparked in the National Assembly following a failed attempt to oust Yoon over the martial law issue.
His decree, the first of its kind in over four decades, lasted only six hours but resulted in significant political turmoil, disrupted diplomatic efforts, and unsettled financial markets.
Yoon had to rescind the decree after the parliament unanimously voted against it. In the aftermath of declaring martial law, he deployed numerous troops and police to the parliament to obstruct the vote, but they withdrew after the decree was rejected.
In a speech on Thursday, Yoon refuted the rebellion charges, asserting that his martial law action was a form of governance. He claimed it was intended to send a message to the liberal opposition Democratic Party, which he accused of being “a monster” and “anti-state forces.” Yoon stated, “I will fight to the end to prevent the forces and criminal groups that have paralyzed the government and disrupted the nation’s constitutional order from threatening the future of the Republic of Korea.”
In retaliation, Democratic Party leader Lee Jae-myung described Yoon’s speech as a “mad declaration of war” against the South Korean populace.
Following the impeachment motion’s approval, the Constitutional Court will decide whether to restore Yoon to his position or remove him permanently.
He becomes the second president in South Korea to face impeachment, following Park Geun-hye’s ousting in 2017. Park, who was in office from 2013, was impeached by parliament, a decision upheld by the Constitutional Court in March 2017, leading to her prosecution and eventual imprisonment.
She also faced allegations of leaking classified information, compiling a list of artists critical of her policies, and firing officials who opposed her decisions.
