The impeachment bill was automatically dropped. Yoon will continue to serve as president, but Han Dong-hoon, chairman of the ruling People Power Party, said, "The president needs to be suspended from his duties immediately."
The main opposition Democratic Party and others are planning to submit an impeachment motion to the National Assembly again, so the political situation is likely to remain unstable. The incident began when Yoon declared a state of emergency on the 3rd of this month.
In an emergency speech, Yoon said, "The legislative dictatorship of the Democratic Party of Korea is an obvious anti-national act that tramples on the constitutional order of the Republic of Korea and plots civil war," and called for the eradication of "anti-national forces."
The emergency martial law declared was the first since democratization in 1987. The emergency martial law declared by Yoon is a type of martial law stipulated in the South Korean Constitution and is used in times of war or natural disasters.
The President issues orders in the event of a military emergency such as a war, or to maintain public order. The military takes control of administrative and judicial functions, and is authorized to restrict freedom of speech, publication, and association.
After the declaration, armed soldiers of the martial law army broke the windows and rushed into the National Diet Building. A HYERI helicopter, believed to be a military aircraft, also flew over the National Diet Building. The declaration was issued in a situation reminiscent of the military regime.
Afterwards, many citizens gathered in front of the National Diet, chanting slogans against martial law and surrounding military vehicles, causing chaos.
However, martial law can only be lifted if a majority of members of Congress request it.
Immediately after the declaration, a plenary session of the National Assembly was held, and all 190 members in attendance voted in favor of lifting the state of emergency. Yoon lifted the state of emergency after just six hours.
Six opposition parties, including the Democratic Party of Korea, said Yoon had "attempted to suspend the constitutional order and seize power permanently."
On the 4th of this month, the National Assembly submitted a motion to impeach Yoon, pointing out that he violated the Constitution by declaring emergency martial law, among other things. Meanwhile, on the 7th, Yoon made a statement to the nation regarding the emergency martial law he had declared. In his statement, Yoon said:
"The declaration of emergency martial law was based on a sense of urgency as the president, who has the final say in national affairs, but in the process, I caused anxiety and inconvenience to the people," he said in his apology.
"I will not avoid it," he said, "I will leave the policy of stabilizing the political situation going forward, including my term, to my party (the ruling People's Power Party)." However, he did not directly mention resigning.
In line with the vote on the impeachment bill, a large-scale demonstration calling for its passage was held in front of the National Assembly on the 7th.
As of 7 a.m., the number of participants was at its peak of about 150,000 (police tally). The people who gathered held signs saying "Impeach Yoon Seok-yeol" and chanted "Let's protect democracy." Meanwhile, in downtown Seoul,
A rally in support of Yoon was also held on the 7th, with participants calling for the rejection of the impeachment bill. On the 7th, the National Assembly voted on the impeachment bill for Yoon. This is the third time the National Assembly has voted on the impeachment of a sitting president.
Impeachment proceedings against then-president Roh Moo-hyun in 2004 and then-president Park Geun-hye in 2016 were both passed. Roh was dismissed by the Constitutional Court and returned to his post, while Park was removed from office by the Constitutional Court.
The impeachment bill requires the approval of two-thirds of the 300 members of the Diet. The vote is expected to be passed if eight or more members of the ruling People's Power Party defect, in addition to the 192 opposition and independents.
The ruling party was united in its opposition to the bill to impeach Yoon, who apologized for declaring martial law in a speech before the vote and hinted at resigning before the end of his term. Most of the ruling party lawmakers left the plenary session.
He walked out and refused to vote. In this situation, opposition lawmakers called out, "If you have any conscience, vote in favor of impeachment." In the end, the number of voters did not reach the required number, and the motion was not passed.
The bill was scrapped. National Assembly Speaker Woo Won-sik said it was "very unfortunate." With the scrapping of the impeachment bill, Yoon will continue in his presidency, but Han Dong-hoon, chairman of the ruling People Power Party, said, "We will continue to work hard to protect the country."
"The president will effectively be removed from his duties," he said. Meanwhile, the Democratic Party of Korea and others plan to continue submitting the impeachment motion. However, since there is a principle that the same bill cannot be debated twice in the same National Assembly, the opposition parties are now
The party plans to shorten the extraordinary session to one week after that. According to Yonhap News, Yoon Jeong-geun, the party's floor spokesman, said the impeachment bill will be resubmitted on the 11th, when the extraordinary session of the National Assembly begins in December, and a vote will be held on the 14th.
When asked whether he would proceed with the plan, he reportedly said, "We will proceed with it roughly on that schedule." The political turmoil that began with Yoon's declaration of emergency martial law is expected to continue for the time being.
2024/12/09 11:26 KST
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