Members of South Korea’s National Assembly (parliament) will vote on an impeachment motion against President Yoon Suk-yeol over his short-lived decision to declare martial law.
Impeaching the president would require support from 200 of the National Assembly’s 300 members. The impeachment motion was filed by a group of 191 lawmakers representing six opposition parties, so the opposition presumably needs to secure only eight votes from the ruling party.
Under the country’s constitution, the president has the right to declare martial law in case of war, an armed conflict or a major disaster, but has to comply if lawmakers decide to revoke marital law, which is what happened on December 4. The impeachment motion says that the president blatantly violated the constitution and laws because there was no reason to declare martial law in the country.
Procedure
If 200 lawmakers vote to impeach Yoon, he will be immediately suspended from exercising his powers, with the prime minister taking over in an acting capacity. However, it is up to the Constitutional Court to make a final decision. The process may take up to six months.
Should the court back the parliament's decision, a presidential election will have to be held within 60 days.
Alternative options
Experts believe that even if Yoon escapes being impeached this time, the opposition will continue its efforts and his administration's work will be paralyzed until the end of his term. Opinion polls show that the president’s approval rating has plummeted to 13%, while 73% of respondents support the idea of impeachment.
Apart from the impeachment proceedings, police and prosecutors have launched an investigation against the president based on insurrection complaints.
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