South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol was impeached on Dec. 14 after lawmakers voted to pass the second impeachment motion against him at the National Assembly plenary session. The motion’s approval comes 11 days after the president imposed an unexpected and short-lived martial law on Dec. 3 that plunged the nation into turmoil.
This is the third time Korean lawmakers passed an impeachment motion against the president, following similar cases involving Presidents Roh Moo-hyun in 2004 and Park Geun-hye in 2016. Until the Constitutional Court delivers its ruling on the impeachment, President Yoon’s duties will be suspended, with Prime Minister Han Duck-soo acting as interim head of state to manage state affairs.
The opposition-led National Assembly held a plenary session at 4 p.m. on Saturday to vote on President Yoon’s second impeachment motion. The first impeachment motion was rejected on Dec. 7 after lawmakers from the ruling People Power Party boycotted the vote. This time, all 300 lawmakers attended the session.
The impeachment motion was passed with 204 votes in favor, 85 against, 8 invalid, and 3 abstentions. Given that 192 lawmakers, including those from the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea, five other opposition parties, and two independent lawmakers had declared their support for the impeachment, at least 12 lawmakers from the conservative People Power Party also joined to support Yoon’s removal from office.
The National Assembly stated in its impeachment resolution that Yoon’s emergency martial law declaration on Dec. 3 violated the Constitution. “The conditions for imposing martial law, such as war, armed conflict, or a comparable national emergency when it is necessary to maintain public safety and order through armed forces, were not met,” according to the resolution. The resolution also stated that the declaration bypassed constitutional procedures, such as notifying the National Assembly.
National Assembly Speaker Woo Won-shik handed the impeachment resolution to Rep. Jung Chung-rae, the Legislation and Judiciary Committee chairman. Jung will serve as the prosecutor in the Constitutional Court’s impeachment trial.
South Korea now faces a prolonged period of uncertainty. The Constitutional Court has up to 180 days, until early June next year, to determine whether to uphold the impeachment. For the impeachment to be finalized, six of the nine Constitutional Court justices must vote in favor of the impeachment motion.
However, the court’s decision faces a hurdle as only six of the nine Constitutional Court justices are seated. The National Assembly has yet to appoint the three vacant seats.
If the court upholds the impeachment motion, Yoon will be removed from office, and a presidential election must be held within 60 days. Until the court reaches a decision, Prime Minister Han Duck-soo will assume the role of acting president, including commanding the armed forces and managing treaty negotiations and ratifications.
The impeachment vote is expected to accelerate the prosecutors’ investigation into President Yoon over allegations of insurrection.
A copy of the National Assembly’s impeachment resolution was delivered to the presidential office around 7:24 p.m., officially suspending Yoon’s presidential powers.
