South Korean MPs impeach president over martial law

South Korean parliament on Saturday suspended President Yoon Suk Yeol from office after it passed an impeachment motion over the short-lived martial law.

Some 204 lawmakers voted in favour of impeachment, surpassing the minimum threshold of 200 votes in the 300-seat parliament, according to a parliament statement.

This was the second impeachment motion brought by a bloc of six opposition parties against Yoon after he survived the first one last week.

Under the South Korean constitution, incumbent Prime Minister Han Duck Soo will take charge from Yoon until the Constitutional Court decides Yoon’s removal is justified.

Presidential elections

The court will hold a trial of events that led to the impeachment and decide if Yoon should be removed. It may take up to six months but if the court confirms Yoon is impeached, presidential elections must be held within 60 days.

In case Yoon chooses to resign, it will trigger presidential elections within the next two months.

The motion brought by an opposition bloc of 192 lawmakers needed the support of at least eight lawmakers from the ruling People Power Party which has 108 lawmakers.

All 300 lawmakers participated in the session, and the successful impeachment motion showed at least 12 ruling party lawmakers supporting it. At least eight votes were declared invalid while three abstained.

Imposed martial law

The motion was triggered after Yoon in a shocking decision imposed martial law on the night of December 3 which was lifted within six hours after 190 lawmakers rushed to parliament that night to reject the president’s decision.

The 63-year-old leader’s move has opened a wide probe including against Yoon himself who has become the first sitting president to face charges of treason and insurrection as well as a travel ban.

Yoon was elected in 2022 for a five-year term until 2027 but his administration has been rendered toothless after the main opposition Democratic Party won the majority in parliamentary polls held in April this year.

➤Click here to follow our WhatsApp channel for more stories.