The impeachment vote is expected as early as Dec. 6 and requires the support of two-thirds of Parliament to pass.
South Korean opposition parties submitted a bill to impeach President Yoon Suk Yeol after he imposed a short period of martial law, during which troops were ordered to secure the parliament building on Dec. 3.
Yoon said that martial law was needed to protect the free constitutional order and because the opposition—which has a majority in the nation’s unicameral National Assembly—was allegedly paralyzing state affairs and sympathizing with North Korea.
“The National Assembly has so far proposed 22 motions to impeach government officials since the inauguration of the administration, and since the launch of the 22nd National Assembly in June, it is pursuing the impeachment of its 10th individual,” Yoon
said in a Dec. 3 announcement.
“By intimidating judges and impeaching multiple prosecutors, they have paralyzed judicial operations, and actions such as the impeachment of the minister of the interior and safety, the chairperson of the Korea Communications Commission, the chairperson of the Board of Audit and Inspection, and attempts to impeach the minister of national defense are paralyzing the executive branch as well.”
Within hours of the president’s martial law declaration—in defiance of a ban on political activities—the National Assembly, with 190 of its 300 members present, unanimously passed a motion for martial law to be lifted.
The president then rescinded the declaration of martial law, about six hours after its proclamation.
On Dec. 4, six opposition parties submitted a bill calling for Yoon’s impeachment, alleging that his declaration of martial law violated the Constitution.
The impeachment bill is expected to be put to a vote as early as Dec. 6, South Korean news outlet Yonhap News Agency
reported. The bill will require the support of two-thirds of Parliament before the impeachment can proceed to the Constitutional Court for review to determine whether the charges are factually serious and legally valid.
The main opposition Democratic Party called for Yoon to resign.
“It was clearly revealed to the entire nation that President Yoon could no longer run the country normally. He should step down,” senior Democratic Party member of Parliament Park Chan-dae said in a statement.
The president’s office stated that several of Yoon’s aides resigned after the martial law was lifted, including his presidential chief of staff, his national security adviser, his chief of staff for policy, and seven other senior officials, according to
Yonhap.
South Korean Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun
said on Dec. 4 that he would resign from his role and take responsibility for the events that followed the declaration. He claimed responsibility for the troop deployment to the Parliament.
Han Dong-hoon, leader of Yoon’s People Power Party, has distanced the party from the president’s decision to declare martial law.
“As the ruling party, I apologize to the people for today’s dire situation,” Han
said in remarks shared by South Korea’s Kyunghyang Shinmun newspaper shortly after the president reversed his martial law decree.
Protests calling for Yoon’s resignation have been held in the capital city of Seoul. The U.S. Embassy in South Korea issued an
alert on Dec. 4 advising U.S. citizens to “avoid areas where demonstrations are taking place.”
The embassy stated that it will cancel routine consular appointments for U.S. citizens and visa applicants in South Korea on Dec. 4.
“Following President Yoon’s announcement to lift the martial law declaration, the situation remains fluid. U.S. citizens should anticipate potential disruptions,” the alert reads.
The surprise declaration of martial law late on Dec. 3 caused a standoff with Parliament, which rejected Yoon’s attempt to impose a ban on political activity. Under martial law, all political activities are
banned, including the activities of the National Assembly, demonstrations, and independent media and publications. Authorities may also search and arrest suspected violators without a warrant.
The Parliament’s secretary-general said that about 280 troops were deployed following the decree to secure the Parliament building, local media
reported.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the United States welcomed Yoon’s move to rescind the order.
“The United States has watched closely developments over the last 24 hours in the Republic of Korea,” Blinken said in a
statement. “We continue to expect political disagreements to be resolved peacefully and in accordance with the rule of law.”
Ryan Morgan, Melanie Sun, and Reuters contributed to this report.
