South Korean president faces second martial law impeachment vote

Protesters hold flags during a candlelight vigil demanding the impeachment of South Korea President Yoon Suk Yeol on a road near the National Assembly in Seoul on December 13, 2024. – South Korea’s opposition leader on December 13, urged ruling party lawmakers to side with the “people” and impeach President Yoon Suk Yeol over his failed martial law bid, a day before a second parliamentary vote that appears on a knife edge. (Photo by Jung Yeon-je / AFP)

Seoul, SOUTH KOREA – South Korean lawmakers vote Saturday on whether to impeach President Yoon Suk Yeol over his failed martial law bid, a second parliamentary showdown that appeared on a knife edge.

A week after the first attempt to remove Yoon from the martial law debacle foundered, the National Assembly will vote at around 4:00 pm (0700 GMT) on whether to impeach him for “insurrectionary acts undermining the constitutional order.”

Yoon has vowed to fight “until the very last minute” and doubled down on unsubstantiated claims the opposition is in league with the country’s communist foes.

Thousands of South Koreans have taken to the streets of Seoul to demand Yoon’s resignation and jailing after his short-lived martial law declaration sent soldiers and helicopters to parliament last week.

And massive rallies supporting impeachment are expected to gather near the parliament around midday.

Organizers have promised to distribute food and banners to the protesters to lift their spirits in the freezing December temperatures.

And K-pop singer Yuri of the band Girl’s Generation—whose song “Into the New World” has become a protest anthem—said she had pre-paid for food for fans who attended the rally.

“Stay safe and take care of your health!” she said on a superfan chat platform.

‘History will remember’

Two hundred votes are needed for the impeachment to pass, meaning opposition lawmakers must convince eight parliamentarians from Yoon’s conservative People Power Party (PPP) to switch sides.

As of Friday, seven ruling party lawmakers had pledged to support impeachment — leaving the vote up in the air.

Opposition Democratic Party leader Lee Jae-myung has implored ruling PPP lawmakers to side with the “people wailing out in the freezing streets”.

“Please join in supporting the impeachment vote tomorrow,” he said Friday.

“History will remember and record your choice.”

Two PPP lawmakers supported the motion in last week’s vote.

Opposition lawmaker Kim Min-seok said Friday he was “99 percent” sure the impeachment motion would pass.

Should it be approved, Yoon would be suspended from office while South Korea’s Constitutional Court deliberates.

Prime Minister Han Duck-soo would step in as the interim president.

The court would then have 180 days to rule on Yoon’s future.

If it backs his removal, Yoon would become the second president in South Korean history to be successfully impeached.

But there is also precedent for the court to block impeachment: in 2004, then-president Roh Moo-hyun was removed by parliament for alleged election law violations and incompetence, but the Constitutional Court later reinstated him.

The court also currently only has six judges, meaning their decision would need to be unanimous.

And should the vote fail, Yoon can still face “legal responsibility” for the martial law bid, Kim Hyun-jung, a researcher at the Korea University Institute of Law, told AFP.

“This is clearly an act of insurrection,” she said.

“Even if the impeachment motion does not pass, the president’s legal responsibilities under the Criminal Code… cannot be avoided.”

‘So angry’

Yoon has remained unapologetic and defiant as the fallout from his disastrous martial law declaration has deepened and an investigation into his inner circle has widened.

On Friday, prosecutors said they had arrested a military commander who headed the Capital Defence Command.

Seoul Central District Court also issued arrest warrants for the national police chief and the head of the city’s police, citing the “risk of destruction of evidence.”

Yoon’s approval rating—never very high—has plummeted to 11 percent, according to a Gallup Korea poll released Friday.

The same poll showed that 75 percent now support his impeachment.

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Protesters calling for his ouster for more than a week run the gamut of South Korean society — from K-pop fans waving glowsticks to retirees and blue-collar workers.

“Impeachment is a must and we must fight relentlessly,” Kim Sung-tae, a 52-year-old worker at a car parts manufacturer, told AFP.

“We’re fighting for the restoration of democracy.”

Teacher Kim Hwan-ii agreed.

“I’m so angry that we all have to pay the price for electing this president.”