South Korea: President Yoon faces second impeachment vote

With less than 24 hours until a vote to remove President Yoon Suk Yeol from office, the leader of South Korea’s opposition warned his colleagues in the ruling party on Friday that “history will remember” if they do not support his impeachment.

According to reports, South Korea’s democracy was thrown into some of its political instability in recent memory when Yoon imposed the country’s first martial law in more than 40 years.

Lawmakers from the ruling People Power Party reportedly boycotted the impeachment motion last Saturday.

They thwarted an attempt to remove him from power.

Analysts currently believe that the main opposition Democratic Party may have more success with its second try.

Around 5:00 p.m. (08:00 GMT) on Saturday, Yoon will be put on trial for impeachment on charges of “insurrectionary acts undermining the constitutional order” related to his attempt to impose martial law.

According to report, opposition lawmakers must persuade eight members of the ruling party to defect in order for it to pass, which requires two hundred votes.

The Democratic Party’s leader, Lee Jae-myung, pleaded with the PPP on Friday to back the president’s ouster.

Lee said: “What the lawmakers must protect is neither Yoon nor the ruling People Power Party but the lives of the people wailing out in the freezing streets.

“Please join in supporting the impeachment vote tomorrow.

“History will remember and record your choice”, he added.

Last week, two lawmakers from the ruling party backed the move.

Additionally, seven legislators from the ruling party have committed to supporting impeachment as of Friday lunchtime, putting the vote in a precarious position.

However, the opposition members are certain they will win the votes.

On Friday, lawmaker Kim Min-Seok declared that he was “99 percent” certain the impeachment would be approved.

Ball with the court

According to political experts, if it is approved, Yoon will be removed from office while the Constitutional Court of South Korea considers the case.

During that period, Prime Minister Han Duck-soo will serve as the acting president.

After then, the court will have 180 days to make a decision regarding Yoon’s future.

They revealed that Yoon would become the second president in South Korean history to be impeached if it supports his removal.

According to report, there is precedent for the court to prevent impeachment: in 2004, parliament ousted then-President Roh Moo-hyun for alleged ineptitude and violations of election laws.

He was later rehabilitated by the Constitutional Court.

There are now only six judges on the court, so unanimous judgment would be required, analyst said.

Kim Hyun-jung, a researcher at the Korea University Institute of Law, told AFP that Yoon may still be held “legally responsible” for the martial law attempt if the vote is unsuccessful.

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

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

So angry

Report claimed that Yoon has remained stubborn and unrepentant as the consequences of his terrible martial law have grown.

He pledged in a televised speech on Thursday to battle “until the very last minute” and reaffirmed unsupported allegations that the opposition was working with the nation’s communist enemies.

Since Yoon declared martial law, thousands of people have demonstrated in Seoul’s streets, calling for his resignation and imprisonment.

A Gallup Korea poll issued on Friday shows that Yoon’s approval rating, which was never very strong, has fallen to 11 percent.

According to the same survey, 75% of people now favor his impeachment.

The protesters is said to represent a wide spectrum of South Korean society, including blue-collar workers, seniors, and K-pop aficionados brandishing glowsticks.

A 52-year-old worker at a car-parts producing company, Kim Sung-tae, said: “Impeachment is a must, and we must fight relentlessly.

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

Teacher Kim Hwan-ii agreed, saying: “I’m so angry that we all have to pay the price for electing this president”.

For Diaspora Digital Media Updates click on Whatsapp, or Telegram. For eyewitness accounts/ reports/ articles, write to: citizenreports@diasporadigitalmedia.com. Follow us on X (Fomerly Twitter) or Facebook