Egypt Daily News – The South Korean parliament voted on Saturday to impeach President Yoon Suk-yeol, after his failed attempt to impose martial law and obstruct the work of the legislative institution by resorting to the army on December 3.
Tens of thousands of demonstrators gathered in front of the National Assembly during the voting process, and expressed their joy when Parliament Speaker Woo Won-shik announced the result of the vote.
204 deputies voted in favor of the impeachment, while 85 deputies opposed it, three deputies abstained from voting, and eight ballot papers were invalidated.
Parliament must approve the impeachment motion by a majority of 200 votes out of 300. The opposition, which includes 192 deputies, succeeded in convincing 12 out of 108 members of Yoon’s People’s Power Party to join it.
Thus, Yoon’s work was suspended pending the Constitutional Court’s decision to ratify his dismissal within 180 days. Prime Minister Han Duk Su is scheduled to assume his duties temporarily. The European Union called in a statement for “a quick and orderly solution to the current crisis, in accordance with the Korean Constitution.”
For his part, the leader of the Democratic Party (the main opposition force) in Parliament, Park Chan-dae, said after the vote, “Today’s impeachment measures represent a great victory for the people and democracy.”
The “mastermind” of the rebellion
Before the vote, Park stressed in a speech before Parliament that imposing martial law constitutes a “clear violation of the constitution and a serious violation of the law,” adding that “Yoon Seok-yeol is the mastermind of this rebellion.”
He added, “I urge you to vote in favor of impeachment in order to leave behind a historical lesson that those who destroy the constitutional order will be held accountable,” considering that “Yon Suk-yul is the greatest danger to the Republic of Korea.”
On December 7, a first attempt to impeach Yoon failed when most of the People’s Power Party deputies left the parliamentary session to prevent a quorum.
200 thousand demonstrators
When Yoon’s impeachment was announced, about 200,000 demonstrators who were gathered in front of the National Assembly expressed their joy, danced to loud Korean pop music, and hugged each other while crying, according to Agence France-Presse reporters at the scene.
“Isn’t it amazing that we, the people, achieved this together?” Choi Jang Ha, 52, said.
In contrast, thousands of Yoon’s supporters gathered in central Seoul, where the flags of South Korea and the United States were carried.
Yoon told television that he was “very disappointed,” stressing that he would “step aside for a while.” He called for an end to the “policy of excess and confrontation” in favor of a “policy of deliberation and reflection.”
The Constitutional Court has six months to approve or overturn Parliament’s decision. With three of its nine judges retiring in October without being replaced due to political deadlock, the remaining six will have to make their decision unanimously.
If the impeachment is approved, early presidential elections will be held within sixty days. Chief Justice Moon Hyung-bae pledged to take “action.”
Yoon Suk-yeol (63 years old) is the third president in the history of South Korea to be impeached by Parliament, after Park Geun-hye in 2017 and Roh Moo-hyun in 2004. However, the Supreme Court overturned the procedures for impeaching Roh Moo-hyun two months after the decision was taken to impeach him before. Parliament.
The judicial network has become tighter on Yoon Suk-yeol and his close associates, after he was removed from power, subjected to a criminal investigation on charges of “rebellion,” and prevented from leaving the country.
Arrest warrants
On Friday, the Public Prosecution announced the arrest of the head of the military command in Seoul, and a court issued arrest warrants for the commanders of the National Police and the Seoul Police, citing “the risk of destroying evidence.”
Former Defense Minister Kim Hong-hyun, who is considered the person who pushed the president to impose martial law, was the first to be arrested on December 8. He tried to commit suicide two days after he was detained.
Yoon Suk-yeol caused a shock in South Korea on the night of December 3 to 4, when he declared martial law, for the first time in more than four decades in the country, and sent the army to Parliament in an attempt to prevent representatives from meeting.
However, representatives were able to hold an emergency session in a hall surrounded by special forces, and voted on a text demanding the abolition of martial law, which the president was constitutionally obligated to comply with.
Yoon Suk-yeol was a former prosecutor who entered politics late and was elected president in 2022. He justified his latest coup as “protecting liberal South Korea from the threats posed by North Korean communist forces and eliminating elements hostile to the state,” accusing the opposition-controlled parliament of torpedoing the country. All his initiatives are disrupting the country.
