South Korea's National Assembly Rejects Impeachment Motion Against President Yoon
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Seoul, Dec 7 (NationPress) The National Assembly of South Korea on Saturday did not succeed in passing the impeachment motion against President Yoon Suk-yeol, as the majority of lawmakers from the ruling People Power Party abstained from voting.
Following a vote on a proposal to investigate scandals linked to Yoon's wife, most of the 108 lawmakers from the ruling party exited the parliament chamber, as reported by Xinhua news agency.
Only one ruling party member stayed in the chamber, while two others returned after leaving.
Among the 300 lawmakers of the National Assembly, 198 supported the proposal for a special prosecutor to investigate the first lady, while 102 opposed it. To pass the bill in a revote, at least two-thirds of the lawmakers must approve it.
Members of the opposition, including the main liberal Democratic Party, called out the ruling party lawmakers by name, urging them to return and participate in the voting process.
To successfully pass the impeachment motion, more than 200 lawmakers are required to vote in favor.
After nearly three hours of waiting for the ruling party members, National Assembly Speaker Woo Won-shik concluded the voting, announcing that the impeachment motion was dismissed due to insufficient quorum.
Outside the parliament building, hundreds of thousands of citizens participated in a candlelight rally demanding a vote for Yoon's impeachment.
The Democratic Party and five other smaller parties submitted the impeachment motion following the President's declaration of martial law on Wednesday.
Yoon announced an emergency martial law on Tuesday night but repealed it shortly after the parliament voted against it early Wednesday. The revocation received approval during a Cabinet meeting.
