South Korean President escapes impeachment vote

Lawmakers in South Korea have failed to impeach the country’s president over his short-lived attempt to declare martial law.

A bill condemning Yoon Suk Yeol fell three votes short of the 200 votes needed to pass, with several parliament members from the ruling People’s Power Party (PPP) boycotting the vote.

There was widespread shock and anger when the South Korean Prime Minister announced military rule – linked to totalitarianism in the country – on Tuesday, in an attempt to find a way out of the political impasse.

Yun’s announcement was immediately overturned by parliament, before his government revoked it a few hours later amid mass protests.

Passing an impeachment bill requires a two-thirds majority in the National Assembly, meaning at least eight PPP lawmakers must vote in favor.

However, all but three walked out of the chamber earlier on Saturday.

One of those who remained, Cho Kyung-tae, credited Yoon’s apology for the martial law decree on Saturday morning – after being hidden from public view for three days – as influencing his decision not to support impeachment this time. Did.

“The President’s pardon and his desire to step down early, as well as handing over the entire political agenda to the party, influenced my decision,” he told the BBC before the vote.

Cho said he believed impeachment would hand the presidency to Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) leader Lee Jae-myung.

He said Yun’s “irrational and absurd decision” to declare martial law had “overshadowed” what he described as “many extreme actions” of the DPK while in power.

After Saturday’s vote, Lee stressed that his party “will not give up” its efforts to impeach Yoon, saying Yoon poses the “biggest threat” to South Korea.

“By Christmas and the end of the year, we will definitely return this country to normal,” he told a crowd gathered outside parliament in the capital Seoul.

Before Tuesday, martial law – temporary rule by military authorities during a time of emergency, during which civil rights are usually curtailed – had not been declared in South Korea until it became a parliamentary democracy in 1987.

Yoon claimed the measures were necessary to defeat “anti-state forces” in parliament and cited North Korea.

But others saw the move as an extreme response to the political impasse that had arisen after the DPK’s landslide victory in April, causing his government to veto bills passed by it as well as Yun’s . Growing unpopularity in the wake of the scandal involving the First Lady,

The President’s late-night address led to dramatic scenes at the National Assembly, with protesters beginning to walk down en masse as military personnel attempted to block entry into the building.

MPs scuffled with soldiers, with 190 MPs arriving at the building to defy the order.

Early Wednesday morning, Yun’s cabinet revoked the martial law declaration.

However, the short-lived military takeover has seen daily protests in the streets. Some people came out in support of Yoon, although they were suppressed by the angry mob.

Authorities have revealed more about Tuesday night’s events.

The commander accused of the military takeover said he had learned of the decree on TV along with everyone else in the country.

He said that he had refused to allow his soldiers to arrest MPs inside the Parliament and had not given them ammunition.

The National Intelligence Service later confirmed rumors that Yun had ordered the arrest and interrogation of his political rivals – and even some of his alleged political allies, such as his own party leader Han Dong-hoon .

These revelations led some members of Yun’s own party to signal their support for impeachment.

President’s saturday morning sorry This appeared to be a last ditch effort to garner support.

He said martial law was declared out of “desperation” and vowed not to do another one.

Yun did not offer to resign, but said he would leave decisions about stabilizing the country to his party.

It would not be unprecedented if he were impeached. In 2016, then-President Park Geun-hye was impeached after being accused of helping a friend commit extortion.

If the South Korean parliament passes an impeachment bill, a trial will be held by the constitutional court. To permanently remove him from office, a two-thirds majority of that court would have to be maintained.

Additional reporting by David Oh and Tiffany Turnbull