In South Korea, despite the tens of thousands of demonstrators gathered in front of the South Korean Parliament in Seoul, the impeachment motion filed against President Yoon Suk-yeol has just failed this Saturday, December 7 evening.
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South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol escaped impeachment on Saturday, December 7. A qualified majority of 200 deputies out of 300 was necessary to dismiss him, says our correspondent in Seoul, Camille Ruiz. Only 195 deputies took part in the vote. “ Accordingly, I declare that the vote on this question is invalid said National Assembly Speaker Woo Won-shik.
For hours, writes AFP, people flocked to the area surrounding the Parliament grounds. Giant screens broadcasting live information were installed near the National Assembly, on the eight-lane road which was closed to serve as a gathering place. Many demonstrators held banners reading “ Impeach Yoon ” And “ Criminal insurrection » and sing lyrics such as “ South Korea is a democratic republic “.
What happens next is a little uncertain. According to a recent poll, more than seven in ten South Koreans say they are in favor of this impeachment. The president’s public apology this morning was not enough to ease tensions. But, despite his hasty apologies, Yoon Suk-yeol was able to count on the support of the government, his own party the PPP, despite his internal divisions.
An incredible sequence of events
Three days ago, Tuesday December 3 at 10:24 p.m. (1:24 p.m. UT), Yoon Suk-yeol appeared live on television for an unexpected speech: “ To protect liberal South Korea from threats posed by North Korean communist forces and eliminate elements hostile to the state, I declare emergency martial law “, he announced to everyone’s surprise, reports AFP. Immediately afterwards, Lee Jae-myung, the leader of the majority opposition in the National Assembly, films himself going to Parliament, calling on MPs and the people to join him.
Subsequently, the institution was sealed by the army and the police. But 190 deputies out of 300 manage to enter for an emergency session. Parliamentary staff prevent special forces from interrupting the session by blocking the entrances to the chamber with furniture. And, in front of the Assembly, thousands of peaceful demonstrators are demanding the withdrawal of the law and the resignation of the president. The deputies voted unanimously to lift this state of exception. Obliged by the Constitution, Yoon Suk-yeol complies at 4:30 a.m. Wednesday, repeals the law and announces the withdrawal of troops, then disappears until December 7.
Also readSouth Korea: President Yoon Suk-yeol increasingly isolated, impeachment motion voted on Saturday