Historic Decision: South Korea Votes to Impeach President Yoon Suk Yeol

The President of South Korea was removed due to martial law. The National Assembly in South Korea voted in favor of removing President Yeon Suk-yeol and suspending him from office after declaring martial law, which led to the country entering into political turmoil.

 

In a momentous and polarizing decision, South Korea's National Assembly voted on Saturday to impeach President Yoon Suk Yeol. The decision, made amid intense political tension, saw thousands celebrating outside the National Assembly, while the president’s supporters staged protests in the city center, expressing outrage and defiance.

 

The vote saw full participation from all 300 assembly members, resulting in 204 votes in favor of impeachment, 85 against, three abstentions, and eight invalid votes. Shortly after the announcement, President Yoon addressed the nation in a televised statement, pledging, "I vow to do my best for South Korea until the end."

 

Constitutional Court to Determine Yoon's Fate

The impeachment decision now moves to South Korea's Constitutional Court, which has up to six months to deliberate and decide whether to reinstate or permanently remove President Yoon. In the interim, Prime Minister Han Duk-su has assumed the role of acting president, as mandated by South Korean law.

 

Escalating Political Turmoil

The situation remains fraught as the opposition Democratic Party has launched efforts to impeach Prime Minister Han as well, accusing him of failing to prevent President Yoon from imposing emergency martial law, a measure that lasted for six hours.

 

Adding to the unrest, the Democratic Party is pursuing legal action against President Yoon, seeking his arrest for alleged involvement in orchestrating an insurrection. Authorities have already detained several top officials, including the Defense Minister, the National Police Chief, the head of the Metropolitan Police, and the military counterintelligence commander, on charges of collaborating in the insurrection.

 

South Korea now faces a critical period of political uncertainty, with the nation and its leaders under intense scrutiny as the constitutional court reviews the impeachment.