SEOUL, South Korea — On Saturday, lawmakers in South Korea are poised to vote on the impeachment of President Yoon Suk Yeol, following his controversial and brief attempt to declare martial law, which has sparked widespread protests across the nation calling for his resignation.
The path to impeachment remains uncertain, as it requires a two-thirds majority in the National Assembly. However, the likelihood of success increased after the leader of Yoon’s own political party urged for a suspension of his duties, labeling him as unfit for the presidency and warning of the potential for more severe actions, such as renewed attempts at imposing martial law.
In order to impeach Yoon, at least 200 of the 300 National Assembly members must support the motion. The opposition parties that introduced the impeachment resolution hold a combined total of 192 seats, meaning they would need to secure at least eight votes from Yoon’s People Power Party (PPP). Just a few days prior, 18 members of the PPP voted to jointly cancel the martial law declaration without opposition, underscoring a growing discontent within his own party. The cancellation came less than three hours after Yoon proclaimed martial law during a televised address, in which he criticized the opposition-dominated parliament as a “den of criminals” obstructing state operations. This incident coincided with a heavy military presence surrounding the National Assembly, aiming to interfere with the parliamentary proceedings and potentially detain influential lawmakers.
Yoon’s puzzling and ill-conceived actions have thrown South Korean politics into disarray, raising alarms among vital international partners, including Japan and the United States. The nation, recognized as one of Asia’s most robust democracies, faces a perilous political crisis that could lead to the downfall of its leader.
The opposition accuses Yoon of attempting a self-coup and has framed their impeachment motion around charges of rebellion. Despite calls for intervention from their non-voting leader Han Dong-hun, the PPP convened and decided to oppose the impeachment.
During a meeting, Han emphasized the urgent need to suspend Yoon’s presidential powers, cautioning that his leadership could severely risk the safety of the Republic of Korea and its citizens. He claimed to have received information indicating that during the brief period of martial law, Yoon directed the nation’s defense counterintelligence commander to detain key politicians based on allegations of “anti-state activities.”
In a recent closed-door briefing to lawmakers, Hong Jang-won, first deputy director of the National Intelligence Service, disclosed that Yoon had contacted him post-declaration of martial law, asking for assistance in detaining major political figures, including Han, opposition leader Lee Jae-myung, and National Assembly speaker Woo Won Shik, as per a knowledgeable lawmaker’s account.
In light of these developments, the Defense Ministry announced the suspension of defense counterintelligence chief Yeo In-hyung for executing orders alleged to have come from Yoon to arrest politicians. Additionally, Lee Jin-woo, head of the capital defense command, along with Kwak Jong-geun, leader of the special warfare command, were also suspended due to their roles in the enforcement of martial law.
Former Defense Minister Kim Yong Hyun, implicated for suggesting Yoon enforce martial law, has been placed under a travel ban and is now under investigation for charges of rebellion. Following Kim’s resignation, Vice Defense Minister Kim Seon Ho, who has temporarily taken over the role, confirmed before parliament that it was indeed Kim Yong Hyun who ordered the military’s deployment to the National Assembly after Yoon’s martial law declaration.
