The South Korean president, Yoon Suk Yeol, escaped impeachment this Saturday, December 7, saved by his party’s deputies who boycotted a vote to that effect in Parliament, four days after his failed attempt to impose martial law and despite the pressure of tens of thousands of protesters.
In a heated atmosphere, under boos and shouts, almost all the deputies of the People’s Power Party (PPP), Yoon Suk Yeol’s formation, left the chamber at the time of the vote.
At least 200 votes out of 300 were needed to remove the unpopular conservative president, in power since 2022, but in the end only 195 deputies participated in the vote.
Vote invalidated due to absence of elected officials
“Accordingly, I declare that the vote on this issue is invalid,” said National Assembly Speaker Woo Won-shik.
“Failure to vote on this issue means the failure of the democratic process on a critical national issue. On behalf of the National Assembly, I apologize to the people,” Woo Won-shik added.
To win, the opposition, which has 192 deputies, had to unite at least eight elected officials from the presidential party to its cause.
But only three PPP deputies voted, despite the insistence of Woo Won-shik, who left the vote open until late in the afternoon, begging the presidential party deputies to cast their votes again to “protect the Republic of Korea.” and its democracy”.
Nearly 150,000 anti-Yoon protesters, according to police cited by the Yonhap news agency, surrounded the National Assembly building this Saturday, braving the freezing cold. The organizers claimed that there were one million participants. Thousands of Yoon’s supporters demonstrated in the center of the capital, Seoul.
Martial law was imposed and then quickly repealed
Yoon Suk Yeol surprised South Korea on Tuesday night by announcing the imposition of martial law – an unprecedented measure since 1980, following the coup d’état by dictator Chun Doo-hwan – and by sending the army to Parliament with the goal of gagging him.
Under incredible conditions, 190 deputies managed to hold an emergency session at night, while their assistants blocked the chamber doors with furniture to prevent the entry of armed soldiers.
Unanimously, these deputies voted against martial law, forcing the Head of State to repeal it just six hours later.
In a televised address to the nation that lasted just two minutes on Saturday morning, Yoon Suk Yeol, 63, explained his coup by his “despair as president” as Parliament, largely dominated by the opposition, torpedoed virtually every their initiatives. “I have caused anxiety and inconvenience to the public. I sincerely apologize,” he concluded before bowing deeply to the audience.
Source: BFM TV
