South Korea parliament votes to impeach Yoon Suk Yeol over martial law attempt | Global News Avenue

South Korean lawmakers voted to impeach President Yoon Seok-yeol over his unfortunate attempt to impose martial law, sparking massive protests across the country.

A total of 204 MPs supported the motion, including some from Yun’s People’s Power Party (PPP), but the decision still needs to be approved by the Constitutional Court.

After days of public pressure, the People’s Party decided to give its lawmakers a vote. Efforts to impeach Yoon last week It failed as lawmakers boycotted the hearing.

Thousands of anti-Yin protesters celebrated outside the National Assembly on Saturday night after the impeachment motion passed, with the crowd setting off fireworks overhead and singing songs.

“To the people, we hope that your year-end will be happier and that all canceled year-end celebrations can be resumed,” National Assembly Speaker Oh Won-sik said when announcing the results.

“The future of the Republic of Korea and our hopes are in the hands of the people, and our hopes are strong,” said Oh, a member of the main opposition Democratic Party.

There is strong public support for Yoon’s impeachment – a recent poll found that three-quarters of South Koreans want to see him removed.

The Constitutional Court now has 180 days to rule on whether Yoon Eun-hye should be impeached or reinstated. If impeachment is ruled, the next president must be elected within 60 days.

Mr Yoon has been suspended and Prime Minister Han Deok-soo has taken over as acting president.

However, both South Korea’s president and Finance Minister Choi Sang-mok, the next presidential candidate, are involved in the ongoing police investigation into last week’s incident.

Yoon said in a statement after the vote that he had “temporarily stopped my journey” but that he would “never give up.”

“I will keep your criticism, praise and support in mind and do my best for the country until the end,” he said.

Despite freezing weather, tens of thousands of protesters gathered outside the National Assembly throughout the day, with many expressing their determination to permanently remove Yoon Yong-ho.

“I’m happy that the bill was passed… At the same time, the battle is not over yet,” physiotherapist Sim Hee-seon told the BBC, wiping tears.

“We have to wait for the court’s decision to finalize his impeachment case. We will continue to watch.”

Two women dressed in Rudolph costumes held a sign that read: “It will be a merry Christmas only if Yoon Seok-yeol disappears.”

Across the city, at a pro-Yoon rally at Gwanghwamun Square, the story was different. His supporters fell silent upon hearing the news of the vote. Some hurled angry insults before leaving the scene.

The success of the vote depends on the support of the People’s Party, as the opposition MP who proposed the motion only needs eight other MPs to join. When the opposition first tried to impeach Yoon Eun-hye last Saturday, they lost by just a few votes as the People’s Party went on strike.

The party held a marathon meeting on Saturday, which started at 10 am and lasted until minutes before the poll session, as PPP MPs struggled to agree on the party’s position.

Eventually, the party agreed to participate and allow MPs to vote their conscience. It looked like at least 12 people had walked across the floor. Another 85 people voted against impeachment.

South Korea has faced nearly two weeks of chaos and uncertainty since Yoon tried to impose a brief martial law last Tuesday night.

Yoon cited threats from “anti-national forces” and North Korea. But it soon became apparent that his actions were motivated by his own domestic political troubles rather than external threats.

Hours later, he overturned the order after 190 lawmakers, many of whom scaled fences and breached barricades to enter the voting chamber, voted no.

He later apologized. Then on Thursday, he defended his actions, saying he had done so to protect the country’s democracy and vowing to “fight to the end.”

The speech galvanized people, with the president’s approval rating falling to a record low of 11%, according to a Gallup Korea poll.

Impeaching a president is nothing new for South Korea. The last time South Korea removed former President Park Geun-hye through impeachment proceedings was in 2016.

Ironically, Yoon, then a prosecutor, led the investigation into Park Geun-hye that ultimately led to her impeachment.

Additional reporting by Leehyun Choi, Jake Kwon and Yuna Ku in Seoul