South Korean President Avoids Impeachment Following Martial Law Controversy

South Korean President Avoids Impeachment Following Martial Law Controversy

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol narrowly escaped impeachment on Saturday over a brief martial law declaration, as lawmakers from his ruling party chose to boycott the vote despite significant public protests outside the parliament…READ MORE…

Yoon shocked both the nation and the international community on Tuesday evening when he suspended civilian governance and deployed troops to the legislative building. However, he was compelled to retract his actions after lawmakers rejected his decree.

The impeachment motion, proposed by opposition parties, required a two-thirds majority to succeed, but the near-total boycott by Yoon’s People Power Party (PPP) led to its failure.

“The number of members who voted did not meet the required two-thirds majority,” stated National Assembly Speaker Woo Won-shik, indicating that the impeachment vote was thus “not valid.” He noted that the situation was being closely monitored both domestically and internationally and expressed disappointment that a vote could not occur on such a critical national matter, which he deemed a failure of the democratic process by the ruling party.

Following the vote, the PPP claimed that it blocked the impeachment to prevent “severe division and chaos,” asserting that it would handle the situation in a more orderly and responsible fashion.

The outcome left many in the enormous crowds—estimated by police at 150,000 and by organizers at one million—disappointed as they rallied for Yoon’s removal. Many demonstrators expressed their frustration with boos, sighs, and tears as ruling party lawmakers exited the chamber.

“Although we didn’t achieve the desired result today, I remain neither discouraged nor disappointed because we will prevail eventually,” said 30-year-old Jo Ah-gyeong. “I will continue to come here until we achieve our goal,” she told AFP.

The opposition has pledged to attempt impeachment again as early as Wednesday, while numerous protesters promised to persist in their demonstrations next weekend.

“I will impeach Yoon Suk Yeol, who has become the greatest threat to South Korea, at any cost,” declared opposition leader Lee Jae-myung.

Prior to the vote, Yoon, 63, issued an apology regarding the turmoil but indicated that he would defer to his party’s judgment about his future. “I caused anxiety and inconvenience to the public. I sincerely apologize,” he said during a televised appearance, his first in three days. He added that he would “entrust the party with measures to stabilize the political situation, including the question of my term in office.”

Despite the vote, the PPP maintained its backing for Yoon, even after party leader Han Dong-hoon—who was reportedly on an arrest list—stated that Yoon needed to resign. Ultimately, only three PPP lawmakers—Ahn Cheol-soo, Kim Yea-ji, and Kim Sang-wook—cast votes.

The failure of the impeachment motion could lead to a prolonged political crisis, according to Vladimir Tikhonov, a Korean Studies professor at the University of Oslo. “We will have a politically dead president—essentially unable to govern—and hundreds of thousands protesting every week until Yoon is ousted,” he remarked.

If the impeachment motion had been successful, Yoon would have been suspended from his duties pending a ruling by the Constitutional Court. A recent opinion poll indicated that Yoon’s approval rating had plummeted to a record low of 13 percent.

“The public will not forgive him,” voiced 63-year-old retiree Lee Wan-pyo before the vote at Seoul’s main train station. “I just want him to resign,” added Han Jeong-hwa, a 70-year-old housewife.

Regardless of the vote’s outcome, police have initiated an investigation into Yoon and others regarding alleged insurrection.

In his martial law declaration on Tuesday, Yoon asserted it was necessary to “dismantle anti-state forces undermining people’s freedom and happiness.” Security forces sealed off the National Assembly, and helicopters landed on the building’s roof as nearly 300 soldiers attempted to restrict access.

However, parliamentary staff managed to obstruct the soldiers using sofas and fire extinguishers, allowing sufficient MPs to enter—many even scaling walls—to defeat Yoon’s decree.

According to officials from both parties, soldiers were instructed to detain key politicians, with the chief of special forces later recounting orders to “remove” MPs from parliament. Observers believe that the elite special forces may have hesitated in carrying out the orders upon realizing they were engaged in a political rather than a national security issue.

This incident evoked memories of South Korea’s autocratic past and caught its allies off-guard; the U.S. administration learned about the situation only through news broadcasts. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken conveyed to his South Korean counterpart Cho Tae-yul on Friday that he expected the democratic process to prevail.

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