South Korea’s president faces impeachment after humiliating martial law fiasco | World | News
The humiliated president of South Korea was yesterday facing impeachment after backing down from his martial law order when MPs voted to block it.
After an extremely turbulent 24 hours for the Asian democracy, members of the South Korean parliament initiated impeachment proceedings against Yoon Suk Yeol after thwarting his shock attempt to impose martial law.
The move was just the latest in an extraordinary political upheaval that began a day earlier when the underfire and deeply unpopular president introduced the extraordinary measures – claiming at the time it was needed to protect the country from “North Korea’s communist forces” and to “eliminate anti-state elements.”
While he cited North Korea, President Yoon’s decision was seen as a response to domestic pressure and a series of scandals.
And less than two hours after his declaration, MPs forced their way into the National Assembly and voted to block his decision – some broke through barricades to enter the building.
One MP even told how protesters helped him climb over a wall to get back into the building.
Shortly after the assembly vote, President Yoon announced he was reversing his martial law decision.
But yesterday he was starting to face the consequences of his actions – as lawmakers demanded that he resign and began impeachment proceedings against him.
One South Korean opposition politician said that “whether [President Yoon] resigns or not, we are going to impeach him”.
Joon Hyung Kim, a member of the National Assembly for the Rebuilding Korea party, said the president was “the biggest risk in Korea right now”.
Joon added: “He has a very divisive nature, his world-view is like, black and white.
“He considered opposition parties, parliamentary members as anti-state groups. It was turmoil, but we prevailed, and you know, this is power of Korean democracy.”
After six opposition parties earlier filed a motion to impeach the president, they now plan to present it to parliament’s plenary session today (Thursday).
It will then be voted on Friday 6 or Saturday 7 December, as it must happen within 72 hours of the bill being proposed.
But the impeachment would be just the latest of a number of controversies for the serving president.
Yoon, who only won the top job by a whisker in 2022, was already deeply unpopular and under growing pressure since losing parliamentary elections in April, regarded as a vote of confidence on his time in office.
He has also been plagued by personal problems too. Last month he apologised in a televised address to the nation for a string of controversies surrounding his wife that included allegedly accepting a luxury Dior handbag and stock manipulation.
