South Korean National Assembly members are scheduled to convene again to debate whether to impeach President Yun Seok-Yeol for failing to impose martial law.
A week after the first attempt to remove Yun from office passed, the National Assembly is scheduled to vote at around 4pm local time on Saturday on whether to impeach him for “acts of rebellion that undermine constitutional order.” It is.
Impeachment requires 200 votes, and opposition members will need to persuade eight members of Yun’s conservative People Power (PPP) party to switch sides. As of Friday, seven members of the ruling party had expressed support for impeachment, and a vote has not yet been decided.
After Yun briefly declared martial law and sent soldiers and helicopters to parliament, thousands of South Koreans took to the streets of Seoul to demand his resignation and imprisonment. Lawmakers reacted quickly, breaking through the military cordon and gathering in parliament to vote down the declaration.
A rally in support of impeachment is expected to gather near the Capitol around noon Saturday. Organizers promised to distribute food and banners to lift demonstrators’ spirits amid freezing December temperatures. K-pop singer Yuri of the band Girls’ Generation, whose songs have become protest anthems, said she had prepaid for meals for fans who attended the rally. “Stay safe and take care of your health!” she said online.
Yoon vowed to fight “until the last moment” and doubled down on baseless claims that the opposition was allied with South Korea’s communist enemies.
Leader of the opposition Democratic Party, Lee Jae-myung, implored ruling party PPP members to stand by the “people crying in the freezing streets.” Two PPP MPs supported the motion in a vote last week.
“History will remember and record your choices,” Lee said.
Opposition lawmaker Kim Min-seok said Friday he was “99%” sure the impeachment bill would pass.
If passed, Yoon would be suspended while South Korea’s Constitutional Court deliberates the bill. Prime Minister Han Deok-soo becomes interim president. The court will then have 180 days to rule on Mr. Yoon’s future.
If Yoon’s removal from office is upheld, he will become the second president in South Korean history to be successfully impeached.
There is precedent for courts blocking impeachment. In 2004, then-President Roh Moo-hyun was removed from office by Congress on suspicion of violating election laws and being incompetent, but the Constitutional Court later reinstated him.
Additionally, the court currently has only six judges, so a decision must be made unanimously.
Kim Hyun-jeong, a researcher at Korea University’s Institute of Law, said that even if the vote is rejected, Yoon could be held “legally responsible” for inviting martial law.
“This is clearly an act of rebellion,” she said. “Even if the impeachment motion is not passed, the president’s legal liability under criminal law cannot be avoided.”
As the fallout from the disastrous declaration of martial law deepens and the investigation into his close aides expands, Mr. Yun is unapologetic and defiant.
On Friday, prosecutors announced the arrest of the military commander who heads the capital’s defense forces.
The Seoul Central District Court also issued arrest warrants for the national police chief and the city police chief, citing the “risk of destroying evidence.”
According to a Korea Gallup poll released on Friday, Yoon’s approval rating, which was never high, has plummeted to 11%. In the same poll, 75% support impeachment.
The demonstrators who have been calling for his resignation for more than a week now span the entire spectrum of South Korean society, from psyllium-waving K-pop fans to retirees and blue-collar workers.
Kim Sung-tae, 52, who works at an auto parts manufacturer, said, “Impeachment is essential and we must fight ruthlessly.” “We are fighting for the restoration of democracy.”
Teacher Kim Hwan-yi also agreed. “I’m so angry that we all have to pay the price for electing this president.”
with Agence France-Presse
