The motion to impeach the president of South Korea fails

2024-12-07 15:18:58, Kosova & Bota CNA

A motion to impeach South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol failed to pass in Parliament on December 7 after lawmakers from his party boycotted the vote.

The motion was initiated by opposition parties following Yoon's decision earlier in the week to declare martial law.

Only 195 MPs voted, out of the 200 required for the motion to be successful.

"The whole nation is watching the decision that is being taken today in the National Assembly. The world is watching," said Speaker of Parliament Woo Won-shik, he said, adding that it was unfortunate that the motion did not pass.

The main opposition party, the Democratic Party, has previously stated that it will again initiate a motion to impeach the president next week, if such a motion does not pass on December 7.

Before the vote was held in Parliament, Yoon apologized during a televised address for his decision to declare martial law, as thousands of protesters gathered outside Parliament.

Yoon shocked the country and the international community on Tuesday evening when he announced the declaration of a state of war. It was the first time in more than four decades that a state of war had been declared in the country, and following the president's announcement, troops and helicopters were deployed to Parliament.

But lawmakers managed to vote to repeal the decree, forcing Yoon to withdraw the decision Wednesday morning.

"The declaration of the state of war came from my desperation as president," he said during a televised address, which is his first address to the public since he plunged the country into political chaos.

"I caused anxiety and worry to the public. I sincerely apologize," he said.

The opposition and important members of his party have called on the president to resign.

Thousands of protesters gathered outside Parliament on Saturday, ahead of the start of the impeachment hearing.

Yoon did not offer to resign during his address, but said that he trusts "the party to take measures to stabilize the political situation, including for my term as president."

Yoon's People's Power Party, before the impeachment hearing was held, was divided on how it would vote on the issue.

A day earlier, the head of this party, Han Dong-hoon, has declared that Yoon must leave or Seoul risks facing more political chaos.

"The normal exercise of the duties of the president is impossible under the current circumstances, and a resignation of the president is inevitable," Han Dong-hoon said earlier on Saturday.

The opposition bloc has 192 seats in the 300-seat Parliament and Yoon's party has 108 MPs.

A two-thirds vote was required for the motion to impeach the president to pass, and Yoon would then be suspended from his duties as president and the final decision on his impeachment would then be made by the Constitutional Court.

The police have begun to investigate the president and others for the alleged uprising.

"I will not avoid the issue of legal and political responsibility regarding the declaration of the state of war," said Yoon during his address.

Opposition leader Lee said Yoon's speech was "very depressing" given the public demand for the president to resign.

Some protesters stayed overnight outside Parliament despite freezing temperatures, and some opposition lawmakers also stayed inside Parliament overnight, fearing Yoon might try some desperate measure to retain power.

When declaring a state of war, Yoon claimed that such a decision "will eliminate the anti-state elements that are hindering the freedoms and happiness of the people."

Security forces surrounded the National Assembly, while helicopters landed on the roof of the building. Almost 300 soldiers tried to blockade the building. But Parliament staff managed to stop the soldiers from entering the building, and there were enough MPs inside Parliament to vote against Yoon's decision.

Lawmakers from the ruling party and the opposition said that soldiers had been ordered to arrest key politicians, while special police units were said to have been ordered to remove MPs from Parliament./ REL