South Korea’s SEOUL South Korean lawmakers will vote on Saturday whether to remove President Yoon Suk Yeol from office after he threw the nation into disarray by imposing emergency martial law, only to rescind it hours later in response to strong popular and legislative pressure.
Six opposition parties started the impeachment process against Yoon this week, and the vote is set for around 5 p.m. local time (3 a.m. ET). Just short the two-thirds majority required for the resolution to pass, the opposition alliance controls 192 of the 300 seats in the unicameral assembly.
However, after Han Dong-hoon, the head of Yoon’s ruling People Power Party (PPP), stated that the president’s powers should be suspended and that Yoon might continue to endanger South Korea and its citizens, the chances of the motion passing on Friday increased.
The conservative party, which had previously stated that it would oppose the impeachment resolution, made the unexpected change. PPP lawmakers were still split, with some still endorsing Yoon, even though it let them to vote for the bill without deviating from their party.
In contrast, opposition MPs and a large portion of the people are adamant that Yoon be removed from office. Tens of thousands of people are anticipated for a huge march on Saturday at around 1 p.m., according to police in the capital city of Seoul.
On Saturday, the White House announced that Yoon would speak to the country at 10 a.m. local time (8 p.m. Friday ET).
“The president’s illegal and unconstitutional declaration of martial law has caused chaos and fear in the country of 50 million people, a key U.S. ally that spent decades under military-authoritarian rule before transitioning into a vibrant democracy and the world’s 10th-largest economy,” said Lee Jae-myung, leader of the liberal opposition Democratic Party and Yoon’s opponent in the 2022 presidential election.
He stated on Friday that an unruly power is now destroying the democracy of this country, which was built on blood, sweat, and tears, and that our people have suffered severe injuries to their sense of pride and national honor.
Lee also raised concerns about the potential impact of the martial rule declaration on South Korea’s relations with the United States, pointing out that the unrest had forced the postponement of U.S.-South Korea Nuclear Consultative Group talks that were scheduled for Washington this week.
He claimed that both our diplomacy and our credibility had suffered greatly.
Officials from the Biden administration claimed they were not informed beforehand that Yoon would impose martial law. However, they have consistently underlined the unwavering nature of the U.S. relationship with South Korea, which houses about 30,000 American soldiers and is seen as a crucial bulwark against North Korea, China, and Russia.
State Department deputy spokesperson Vedant Patel said Thursday that the United States and South Korea have a connection that goes beyond any one president or administration on either side of the Pacific.
Former chief prosecutor Yoon, 63, has not appeared in public since the martial law order was lifted early Wednesday after lawmakers voted overwhelmingly to reject it and broke through a security cordon to enter the National Assembly building.
He has since accepted his defense minister Kim Yong-hyun’s resignation, stating that he accepts full responsibility for the incident. All top presidential secretaries and Yoon’s chief of staff are among the numerous other officials that have resigned.
Prosecutors and South Korean police are looking into allegations of treason and insurrection against Kim, Yoon, and Interior Minister Lee Sang-min. Kim and seven other active-duty military officers have also been suspended from duty and asked to have their travel abroad prohibited by the Ministry of National Defense.
The six hours between Yoon’s declaration of martial law at 10:30 p.m. on Tuesday and his lifting of the order at 4:30 a.m. on Wednesday were described by military officers and government officials as chaotic. Many of them claimed to have heard about the directive from news reports or Yoon’s unexpected TV speech.
During his speech, Yoon charged that the opposition-controlled parliament was stifling the administration by attempting to impeach several government officials and cutting vital funds from the national budget for the following year. Additionally, he charged that his opponents harbored sympathy for North Korea, the South’s isolated communist neighbor with nuclear weapons with which it is still nominally at war.
Following Yoon’s speech, martial law was declared, which restricted the media and outlawed any political action, including protests. Additionally, it mandated that the nation’s striking physicians report back to work within 48 hours.
Yoon ordered the arrest of important politicians, including Democratic Party leader Lee and Yoon’s own party leader Han, along with other opposition MPs, a journalist, a former Supreme Court justice, and a former Supreme Court chief justice, officials said Friday.
Regarding the accusations, Yoon’s office has remained silent.
Yoon will be suspended from office for 180 days if he is impeached, pending the Constitutional Court’s decision on whether to uphold the move. Meanwhile, acting president would be Prime Minister Han Duck-soo.
“I do think it is important that this be bipartisan,” said Eun A. Jo, a postdoctoral researcher at the Dickey Center for International Understanding at Dartmouth, even though it wouldn’t take many defections from Yoon’s party to carry the impeachment resolution.
Because I believe there will be a lot more pressure on the Constitutional Court to uphold it once it gets there.
Jennifer Jett reported from Hong Kong, and Stella Kim from Seoul.
Note: Every piece of content is rigorously reviewed by our team of experienced writers and editors to ensure its accuracy. Our writers use credible sources and adhere to strict fact-checking protocols to verify all claims and data before publication. If an error is identified, we promptly correct it and strive for transparency in all updates, feel free to reach out to us via email. We appreciate your trust and support!