The South Korean Parliament has voted in favor of starting a process of impeachment to dismiss the President of the country Yoon Suk Yeol.
The measure comes after the president declared martial law in the democratic country on December 3 for the first time in 40 years.
Yoon’s drastic measure, announced on a late-night television show, mentioned “anti-state forces” and the threat from North Korea. But it soon became clear that she had been driven not by external threats, but by her own desperate political problems.
The decision sparked massive protests in the country and Yoon Suk Yeol had to recant and withdraw martial law.
Opposition deputies quickly organized to push for an impeachment, that is, an accusation against him.
After a failed attempt at a vote last week, this Saturday Parliament achieved the votes necessary for the impeachment. This means that Yoon will be immediately suspended from office and the prime minister will become acting president.
All 300 legislators participated, with 204 votes in favor, 85 against, three abstentions and four invalid votes.
Shortly after knowing the result, Yoon issued a statement.
“I am temporarily stopping my trip,” the president said.
“Even if I stop for now, the journey towards the future that I have been on for the last two and a half years must never stop. I will never give up. “I will take your criticism, praise and support seriously and do my best for the country until the end,” he added.
Still, the impeachment process could last weeks, as a trial has yet to take place before the Constitutional Court. If six of the nine members of the council vote in favor of maintaining the impeachment, only then will the president be removed.
In this scenario, elections will be called to elect the next president within 60 days of the ruling.
According to Parliament Speaker Woo Won-shik, Yoon’s presidential powers and duties will be suspended after copies of a document on the impeachment are provided to him and the Constitutional Court.
And, at that time, Prime Minister Han Duck-soo will take over as acting president.
However, even after his powers are suspended, Yoon will remain in office until the Constitutional Court decides whether to uphold his impeachment.
The two faces
In his first public speech as acting president, Han Duck-soo said his goal is to “stabilize the situation” and “return normality to the people.”
He added that he will not leave “any vacuum” in state affairs and that he aims to “work hard to maintain trust” with the US, Japan and other allies, according to information from Reuters.
“At times like this, more than ever, we must prioritize national security,” says Han, quoted by the Yonhap news agency, stressing that South Korea must not allow North Korea any opportunity to plan provocations.
The moment the results were announced, cheers erupted in the Democratic Party, while members of the ruling party quietly left the chamber. During the counting of votes, some lawmakers from the ruling party were seen joining their hands in prayer.
“We hope that the end of the year will be a little happier and that all the celebrations that had been canceled can be resumed,” Parliament Speaker Woo Won-shik said after announcing the results.
“The future of the Republic of Korea and our hope are in the hands of the people, our hope is strong. Thank you very much,” he said at the end of the session.
Last week, when Parliament failed to muster the votes necessary to pass this motion, thousands of South Koreans took to the streets of Seoul to demand the resignation of the country’s president afterwards.
The atmosphere this Saturday at the doors of Parliament was different.
The immediate response of the people upon learning the result of the vote was immediate joy, according to Leehyun Choi, reporting from Seoul.
People started singing and lighting fireworks.
“The song Into the New World by the K-pop group Girls’ Generation is playing at full volume again at the doors of the National Assembly. The same song was heard here before, before the impeachment vote,” says Choi.
Instead, on the other side of the city, in Gwanghwamun Square, at a pro-Yoon rally, the president’s supporters remained silent after hearing the news.
Son Bang-gle, a protester in her 30s, said she had joined the demonstration because she knew she would feel even worse if she was alone when she found out the result. She was crying and said she was worried about the country.
Uncertain times
The approval of the impeachment motion “is not the end of the political turmoil in South Korea,” according to Leif-Eric Easley, a professor at Ewha University in Seoul, told the BBC.
“It’s not even the beginning of the end, which will ultimately involve the election of a new president,” he said.
The Constitutional Court now has up to 180 days to decide whether President Yoon should be removed or reinstated. If he decides to remove him, elections for the next president must be called within 60 days of the ruling.
The leader of the main opposition Democratic Party, Lee Jae-myung, who narrowly lost to Yoon in 2022, is the favorite to win the election to replace him. But Lee is also in legal danger, Professor Easley said.
Lee has a conviction on appeal and several other pending sentences that could disqualify him from the top job.
“Therefore, before the final race at the polls, there will be a race in the courts,” he said.
Today’s events mark the third time that South Korean lawmakers have voted to remove a president from office.
The first was March 2004 against Roh Moo-hyun, a human rights lawyer turned politician. His dismissal was eventually overturned by the Constitutional Court and Roh was reinstated in office two months later.
The second was in December 2016. Park Geun-hye, the country’s first female president, was removed from office due to a corruption scandal.
An “iron” alliance
One of the first reactions to this Parliament vote came from the European Union, which has officially recognized this decision.
In a statement, the European Union stated that “it is important now to ensure a rapid and orderly resolution of the current political crisis in line with the Korean Constitution.”
The EU and South Korea are strategic partners with a free trade agreement and other political and security ties.
On the other hand, the US ambassador to South Korea, Philip Goldberg, wrote on his X account that he had just met with the South Korean foreign minister.
“As always, the United States stands with the Republic of Korea and the democratic and constitutional process here and stands with its people,” he said.
“Foreign Minister Cho and I reaffirm that our alliance is and will remain strong. “Our commitment to peace and security on the peninsula and in the region is unwavering.”
South Korea is an important ally of the United States in the Asian region: the two countries work especially closely in response to North Korea.
Yoon’s declaration of martial law last week had alarmed Washington.
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