SEOUL, South Korea (AP) – South Korea’s parliament impeached President Yun Seok-Yeol on Saturday over his surprisingly short-lived martial law. The move ended several days of political paralysis, but sparked heated debate over Yun’s fate among jubilant crowds. Cheers broke out to celebrate another challenging moment in the country’s resilient democracy.
Parliament passed the motion by a vote of 204 to 85. Yoon’s presidential powers and duties were subsequently suspended, and Prime Minister Han Deok-soo, the country’s No. 2 official, took over late Saturday.
The Constitutional Court has up to 180 days to decide whether to remove Yun from office or restore his powers. If he is forced out of office, a national election to choose his successor must be held within 60 days.
This was the second National Assembly vote on Yoon’s impeachment after ruling party lawmakers boycotted the first-floor vote last Saturday. Afterwards, as public protests intensified and Yun’s approval rating plummeted, some members of the People’s Power Party said they would vote in favor of impeaching Yun.
National Assembly Speaker Woo Won-sik said Yoon’s impeachment was the result of the “passionate desire, courage, and dedication of the people for democracy.”
As a leading activist took to the stage and shouted, “We defended the constitutional order!”, hundreds of thousands of people gathered near Congress cheered, waved banners and performed colorful K-pop music. He brandished a psyllium.
Another large crowd of supporters of Yoon gathered in a plaza in central Seoul, but they subsided after hearing that Yoon had been impeached. Both rallies were largely peaceful.
Interim leader strengthens country’s security posture
In a statement, Yun said he would “never give up” and called on officials to maintain stability in government functioning during the “temporary” suspension of his presidency.
Yoon said, “I will take all the criticism, encouragement, and support that has been directed at me to heart, and I will do my best for the country until the last moment.”
The martial law that Yun declared on Dec. 3, the first in South Korea in more than 40 years, lasted only six hours, but it caused massive political turmoil, halted diplomatic activities, and disrupted financial markets. Yun was forced to lift the ordinance after the parliament unanimously voted to overturn it.
Acting President Han ordered the military to strengthen its security posture to prevent North Korea from launching a miscalculated provocation. Han asked the foreign minister to convey to other countries that there are no changes to South Korea’s major foreign policies, and the finance minister to minimize the potential negative economic impact of political turmoil, according to Han’s office. He asked them to try to keep it to a minimum.
“I sincerely request all public servants.Currently, we have the important task of ensuring the normal and stable operation of national government. I ask that you carry out your duties without any hesitation,” Han said in a televised statement.
Executive power in South Korea is concentrated in the president, but if the president becomes incapacitated, the prime minister will lead the country. Mr. Han is a veteran bureaucrat who has held top government positions including trade minister and finance minister. He also served as Prime Minister from 2007 to 2008.
U.S. Ambassador to South Korea Philip S. Goldberg wrote in X that the United States “supports South Korea’s democratic and constitutional process and stands with its people.” Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba told reporters on Saturday that the Japanese government is closely monitoring developments in South Korea, but that “the importance of Japan-Korea relations has not been affected.”
After declaring martial law, Yun dispatched hundreds of military and police officers to the National Assembly to prevent the ordinance from being voted on, but they withdrew when the parliament rejected his ordinance. No major acts of violence occurred.
Opposition parties have accused Yoon of treason, citing a law that considers rebellion against established state authorities to violate the constitution. It also argues that South Korea’s president can only declare martial law in times of war or similar emergencies, and that he does not have the right to suspend parliamentary operations even under martial law.
The impeachment motion claims that Yoon “committed rebellion that undermined the peace of the Republic of Korea by causing a series of riots.” The newspaper claimed that Yun’s mobilization of the military and police threatened the National Assembly and the people, and that martial law was aimed at disrupting the constitution.
Yun remains defiant.
In a fiery speech on Thursday, Yun denied the sedition charges, insisting that his imposition of martial law was an act of governance. Conservative Yun said the move was aimed at warning the Democratic Party, the main liberal opposition party, and claimed that the Democratic Party was using its legislative power to impeach many senior officials and undermine the government’s budget proposal. He called the Democratic Party a “monster” and an “anti-national force.” For next year. He insisted that the deployment of troops was aimed at maintaining order, not disrupting it.
Democratic Party of Japan leader Lee Jae-myung called Yoon’s speech a “crazy declaration of war” against his own people.
Even though opinion polls show more than 70% of South Koreans support his impeachment, Yoon’s speech was a legal preparation to defend martial law in the Constitutional Court. Observers said this signaled a shift in focus. A poll released Friday showed Yun’s approval rating at 11%, the lowest since he took office in 2022.
Some of Yun’s claims are inconsistent with testimony from some military commanders who sent troops to Congress.
