South Korea's National Assembly Moves to Impeach President Yoon for Martial Law Attempt
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Seoul, Dec 14 (NationPress) The National Assembly of South Korea voted on Saturday to impeach President Yoon Suk Yeol due to his failed attempt to impose martial law.
Yoon will be suspended from his role immediately after the impeachment resolution reaches his office, while Prime Minister Han Duck-soo will act as the interim president, according to reports from Yonhap news agency.
The impeachment motion against Yoon passed with a vote of 204-85, including three abstentions and eight invalid ballots, out of all 300 lawmakers participating.
The People Power Party (PPP), to which Yoon belongs, decided shortly before the vote to participate but opposed the impeachment.
The results indicated that 12 PPP lawmakers defied their party and voted in favor of impeachment.
A two-thirds majority was necessary to approve the motion, with the opposition bloc comprising 192 of the 300 Parliament members.
The initial impeachment attempt the previous Saturday failed as nearly all PPP lawmakers boycotted the vote.
A revised impeachment motion was presented on Thursday by the main opposition Democratic Party along with five smaller opposition parties, accusing Yoon of breaching the Constitution and other laws by declaring martial law on December 3. This decree was rescinded six hours later after the Assembly voted for its repeal.
The second motion modified the initial one by removing some accusations against Yoon while adding new ones, including claims that Yoon instructed military and police forces to detain lawmakers during the martial law period.
This motion will now be forwarded to the Constitutional Court, which will determine whether Yoon will be reinstated or removed from office.
If the impeachment is confirmed, Yoon will become the second president to be ousted following former President Park Geun-hye in 2017.
