A majority of members of the National Assembly in Seoul vote to impeach Yoon Suk-Yeol, with a motion accusing him of effectively carrying out an attempted coup or rebellion.
Last week, a first vote against the president was held, but it was boycotted by his own party, which meant that no decision could be taken on the issue of impeachment. Such a matter requires two-thirds of the parliament to vote in favour.
During today’s vote, Yoon’s own party colleagues were present, which meant that a decision could be made. According to the speaker, 204 members voted for and 85 against.
Loses all powers
Now it is up to South Korea’s Constitutional Court to decide whether to uphold the decision and impeach Yoon, or to annul it.
– As soon as the official handover from the parliament to the president’s office and to the constitutional court is complete, Yoon Suk Yeol will lose all his powers as president, says SVT’s Asia correspondent Tilde Lewin.
According to her, the decision in the Constitutional Court must be made within six months. Then it takes six judges to vote for Yoon Suk-Yeol to be convicted.
Alongside the parliamentary impeachment process, the president is still the subject of a prosecutor-led criminal investigation.
Massive demonstrations
The resistance in the South Korean population is enormous. More than 200,000 residents of Seoul are expected to take part in demonstrations against the president and by early afternoon local time, thousands of people have gathered outside the parliament building where the vote is to take place.
The background to the criticism is the state of emergency that Yoon Suk Yeol decided on on December 3. The criticism was massive and the state of emergency was withdrawn after six hours.
The decision on the state of emergency shocked the country and the outside world and recalled the country’s dark history with a state of emergency and military rule half a century ago. Yoon justified his drastic decision by saying that the opposition is paralyzing decision-making.
– South Korea is a functioning democracy, an important economy and an important ally to the United States. You are proud of your democracy and this brings memories to life, says Tilde Lewin.