South Korea opposition parties submitted a motion on Thursday to impeach the president Yoon Suk Yeol on his shocking decision to impose short-lived martial law which plunged the country into political chaos.
The declaration of martial law announced by Yoon on Tuesday evening lasted about six hours in total, after lawmakers managed to enter the National Assembly building in front of heavily armed troops and voted unanimously to call off the declaration. ‘order. The decree, which Yoon claimed was necessary to eliminate “anti-state” opposition forces that control Parliament, was criticized by the president’s allies and enemies and drew hundreds of protesters to the streets overnight .
It was not immediately clear whether any lawmakers from Yoon’s ruling party would support the impeachment vote, which could be put to a vote as soon as Friday. However, People Power Party leader Han Dong-hoon told reporters that he had asked Yoon to leave the party and fire Defense Minister Kim Yong Hyun, who Han said had been the first to propose the order of martial law.
Kim, who faced separate impeachment proceedings, offered to resign and apologized to the country “for any disruption caused” in a statement. The rest of Yoon’s cabinet and his top political advisers, including the president’s chief of staff, also resigned.
The growing fallout reflects overwhelming public anger over Yoon’s decision, which has been described as a poorly thought-out move by independent analysts.
“This is a huge political miscalculation, which exponentially worsened his problems with the political opposition and with large segments of the population,” said James Trottier, a former Canadian diplomat and member of the Canadian Global Affairs Institute.
Candlelight vigils were held across the country calling for Yoon’s impeachment and arrest.
“Even though martial law has been abolished…mass demonstrations (and) protests will continue,” Hyung-Gu Lynn, professor of Asian studies and EACL/KEPCO chair of Korean research at the Institute, said in an email. University of British Columbia.
“It is very difficult to see Yoon remaining in power to complete his term, given that this latest law has marked him less as a lame duck and more as a completely incompetent and unstable character.”
How impeachment could unfold
Yoon’s impeachment would require the support of 200 of the 300 members of the National Assembly. The Democratic Party and the five other small opposition parties, which jointly submitted the impeachment motion, together have 192 seats.
Get the latest national news
For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up to receive breaking news alerts sent directly to you as they happen.
Yoon’s rejection of martial law declaration in a 190-0 vote included the votes of 18 lawmakers from Yoon’s ruling People Power Party, according to National Assembly officials – suggesting that There might be some support for impeachment.
The impeachment motion was signed by 190 opposition lawmakers and one independent lawmaker, without the support of any ruling party lawmakers, according to Yonhap news agency. No member of the ruling party was present when the motion was introduced in Parliament.
Reuters reported that the People Power Party had pledged to oppose the motion. But Yoon’s future within the party itself appeared uncertain after Han, the party chief, said he had asked the prime minister to defect Yoon.
If the vote to impeach Yoon is successful, at least six judges on the nine-member Constitutional Court would have to approve it to remove him from office. There are, however, currently three vacancies, meaning the remaining justices would need to vote unanimously in favor for the motion to pass.
During the court’s deliberations, Yoon would be suspended from holding power and Prime Minister Han Duck-soo would replace him as leader.
A presidential election is expected to be held within 60 days if the court approves the indictment or Yoon resigns.
Yoon told the nation in a televised address on Tuesday that martial law was necessary to defend the country against pro-North Korean anti-state forces in the opposition and to protect the free constitutional order, although he did not cite any specific threats against the country.
Experts, as well as presidential officials who spoke to The Associated Press and Yonhap, say the move was instead aimed at clearing legislative hurdles in Parliament, where the majority opposition has blocked Yoon’s agenda and budget proposals and also decided to investigate the president’s aides and wife for alleged corruption.
“Ultimately, President Yoon seemed to believe that the only way out of this impasse was to declare martial law, rather than engage in a democratic process of negotiation with his political opponents,” said Troy Stangarone, director of the Hyundai Motor-Korea Foundation Center. for Korean History and Public Policy at the Wilson Center in Washington, D.C.
Under South Korea’s constitution, the president can declare martial law “in times of war, warlike situations, or other comparable states of national emergency” that require the use of military force to restrict the freedom of the press, assembly and other rights to maintain order.
Many observers reacting to the statement said there was no evidence that South Korea was currently in such a state.
“(Yoon’s allegations) didn’t really please the population or the political class,” Trottier said. “This is an internal political earthquake in South Korea.”
Lynn, a professor at the University of British Columbia, said Yoon’s accusations were “totally unfounded” and that he “needed an excuse, however flimsy, to declare martial law.”
Park Chan-dae, the leader of the Democratic Party, demanded that Yoon be immediately investigated for rebellion over the manner in which he deployed troops to parliament. Although the president generally enjoys immunity from prosecution while in office, this protection does not extend to allegations of rebellion or treason.
Speaking at NATO headquarters in Brussels on Thursday, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the Biden administration welcomed Yoon’s revocation of martial law and called South Korea a “success story” democratic despite the developments of this week.
“I think Korea is one of the most outstanding countries in the world in terms of the emergence of democracy and democratic resilience, and we will continue to look to Korea to lead by example,” he said. he told journalists.
Others see it differently.
“South Korea is a troubled democracy,” Stangarone said.
Yoon’s announcement was the first declaration of martial law since 1980, when military officers forced then-President Choi Kyu-hah to crush calls for a restoration of democratic government. Martial law was declared more than a dozen times between then and the establishment of the Republic of Korea in 1948.
Since South Korea’s democratization in the late 1980s, two presidents have been impeached and three of the last four have been arrested for corruption and abuse of power. Yoon’s role as prosecutor general in the indictment and conviction of then-President Park Geun-hye in 2018 propelled him to fame and propelled him to his presidential nomination in the 2022 election. Growing scandals and allegations during his tenure have since made Yoon deeply unpopular in opinion polls.
“I think it’s clear in South Korea that if you break the law as president, there will be repercussions,” Stangarone said.
“Going forward, especially after what Yoon did, it will be important for all future presidential candidates to make sure they stay within the bounds of their constitution.”
—With files from Associated Press and Reuters