South Korea: Parliament Dismisses President

South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol (pictured left) was suspended from office in a second parliamentary vote that took place on Saturday, December 14, in Seoul. Out of 300 lawmakers, 204 lawmakers voted in favor of impeachment, while 85 opposed the dismissal. Three deputies abstained, and eight ballots were invalidated. According to Korean and international journalists on the scene, “tens of thousands of demonstrators who crowded outside the National Assembly building to await the vote exploded with joy when the results were announced” (photo above).

President Yoon is currently suspended from office pending the Constitutional Court’s decision on whether to “approve his impeachment.” The court has 180 days to do so. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Han Duck-soo will assume the presidential duties.

Immediately after the president’s resignation, Prime Minister Han Duck-soo said he would do his best to “run the government in a stable manner.” “My heart is very heavy with what happened,” he emphasized while speaking to reporters.

The deposed president was accused of “attempting a coup d’état” after a “clumsy” attempt to impose martial law in South Korea, announced on December 3 and withdrawn six hours after parliament voted against it.

The motion, put forward by opposition parties, was passed on a second attempt after a failed vote on Saturday, December 7. After a week of very intense consultations, 108 lawmakers from the People Power Party, the ruling party of former President Yoon Suk-yeol, took part in the vote, with some in favor of impeachment and allowing a quorum of two-thirds (200 out of 300 lawmakers) of the Assembly.