South Korean President temporarily escapes impeachment

Last night, the South Korean National Assembly failed to pass a bill to impeach President Yoon Suk Yeol, but the leader's term is likely to end soon.

Drama in parliament

Yesterday afternoon, the South Korean National Assembly convened a special session to vote on two bills: the appointment of a special prosecutor to investigate First Lady Kim Keon Hee on allegations of election interference and stock manipulation, and more importantly, a bill to impeach President Yoon Suk Yeol in connection with the declaration of martial law on December 3.

Impeachment vote fails, South Korean president temporarily escapes

The bills need at least 200 of the 300 lawmakers to pass, but opposition parties only have 192 seats, meaning they need the support of at least eight lawmakers from Mr. Yoon’s People Power Party (PPP). Police said nearly 150,000 people gathered outside the National Assembly building despite the cold to wait for the vote results, according to Yonhap.

People gathered to protest President Yoon Suk Yeol in front of the South Korean National Assembly building on December 7.

After the first vote on the bill, which fell short of the required two votes, almost all PPP lawmakers left the chamber to boycott the second bill on impeachment amid fierce criticism from the opposition. Inside the chamber, opposition lawmakers accused their opponents of "betrayal" and "disdain for the people" while Democratic Party leader Park Chan-dae and his colleagues shouted out the names of each PPP lawmaker who left the chamber.

After all opposition lawmakers voted, National Assembly Speaker Woo Won-shik delayed the vote count to call on PPP lawmakers to return to the polls. "Aren't you afraid of being judged by history, the people, and the world? All eyes are on us. I'm not asking you to vote yes or no, just come back and vote for the future of Korea," Woo said.

After nearly 3 hours of waiting, Mr. Woo decided to cancel the vote because there were not enough MPs to vote. In addition to 192 opposition MPs, only 3 PPP MPs voted, 5 people short of the criteria to count the votes.

Mr. Yoon apologizes.

Despite escaping impeachment on December 7, President Yoon is unlikely to be able to serve out his term until May 2027 due to pressure from the opposition, the people, and his own party, the PPP. Opposition lawmakers have announced that they will re-introduce the impeachment bill, as early as December 11.

President Yoon Suk Yeol apologizes on December 7

PHOTO: SOUTH KOREA PRESIDENTIAL OFFICE/REUTERS

Yesterday morning, President Yoon made his first public appearance since the declaration of martial law to offer a "sincere apology." In his speech, the leader admitted that he had made the decision out of desperation as president. President Yoon apologized to the people for causing anxiety and inconvenience, and pledged to take full legal and political responsibility. He dismissed rumors of a second martial law and announced that he would hand over power to the ruling party to stabilize the political situation, including the future of his term.

Democratic Party leader Lee Jae-myung expressed disappointment with Yoon's apology and said the president had no choice but to resign or be impeached. PPP leader Han Dong-hoon, who met with Yoon on December 6, said on December 7 that the president was no longer in a position to effectively perform his duties and that "an early resignation is inevitable." Han met Prime Minister Han Duck-soo on Tuesday to propose a solution to stabilize the government.

In the event that Mr. Yoon resigns, Prime Minister Han will assume the role of acting president and a presidential election will be held within 60 days. Meanwhile, the police and prosecutors are conducting separate investigations into President Yoon's controversial declaration of martial law.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/tong-thong-han-quoc-tam-thoat-ai-luan-toi-185241207215411765.htm