A motion is launched to IMPEACH South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol after the martial law debacle
A motion has been launched to impeach South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol after his declaration of martial law plunged the country into chaos.
The political leader announced the extraordinary measure on Tuesday evening in an attempt to thwart ‘anti-state forces’ among his opponents.
But just hours later he was forced to withdraw after a dramatic standoff with his shocked parliament, which rejected his bid to ban political activity and censor the media.
The future of Yoon, a conservative politician and former top prosecutor who was elected president in 2022, is now very uncertain.
South Korea’s opposition parties – whose lawmakers jumped fences and clashed with security forces to reject the law – filed a motion to oust Yoon on Wednesday.
“We have submitted an urgently prepared impeachment motion,” representatives of six opposition parties, including the main Democratic Party, said at a live news conference.
They added that they would discuss when to vote on it, but that could happen as soon as Friday.
The opposition has a large majority in the 300-member parliament and only needs a handful of defectors from the president’s party to secure the two-thirds majority needed to pass the motion.
South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol said on Wednesday he would revoke the declaration of martial law he imposed just hours earlier
A man confronts police officers outside the National Assembly after South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol declares martial law in Seoul
Soldiers attempt to enter the National Assembly building in Seoul on December 4, 2024, after South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol declared martial law
A helicopter flies around the National Assembly Hall after South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol declares martial law in Seoul, South Korea, December 3, 2024
Earlier, the DP said it would file charges of “insurrection” against Yoon, his defense and interior ministers and “key military and police figures involved, such as the martial law commander and the police chief,” the DP said in a statement declaration.
The country’s largest umbrella union declared an “indefinite general strike” until Yoon steps down.
Even the leader of Yoon’s own ruling party described the attempt as “tragic” and called for those involved to be held accountable.
South Korea’s Yonhap news agency said the cabinet had agreed to lift martial law in the early hours of Wednesday.
Protesters outside parliament shouted and clapped, “We won!” chanted, and one protester beat a drum.
But Cho Kuk, head of a small opposition party, met protesters outside parliament and said: “This is not over yet. He shocked all the people.” He promised to oust Yoon by bringing together votes from other parties.
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