A motion has been launched to impeach South Korea‘s President Yoon Suk Yeol after his declaration of martial law plunged the country into chaos.
The political leader declared the extraordinary measure on Tuesday night in a bid to thwart ‘anti-state forces’ among his opponents.
But just hours later he was forced to back down following a dramatic standoff with his horrified parliament, who rejected his attempt to ban political activity and censor the media.
The future of Yoon, a conservative politician and former star public prosecutor who was elected president in 2022, is now highly uncertain.
South Korea’s opposition parties – whose lawmakers jumped fences and tussled with security forces to vote down the law – on Wednesday filed a motion to impeach Yoon.
‘We’ve submitted an impeachment motion prepared urgently,’ representatives for six opposition parties including the main Democratic Party said at a live press briefing.
They added that they would discuss when to put it to a vote, but it could come as soon as Friday.
The opposition holds a large majority in the 300-member parliament and needs only a handful of defections from the president’s party to secure the two-thirds majority needed to pass the motion.
South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol said on Wednesday he would lift a martial law declaration he had imposed just hours before
A man confronts police officers outside the National Assembly, after South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol declared martial law, in Seoul
Soldiers try to enter the National Assembly building in Seoul on December 4 2024, after South Korea President Yoon Suk Yeol declared martial law
A helicopter flies around the National Assembly hall after South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol declared martial law in Seoul, South Korea, December 3, 2024
Earlier the DP said it would file charges of ‘insurrection,’ against Yoon, his defence and interior ministers and ‘key military and police figures involved, such as the martial law commander and the police chief’, the DP said in a statement.
The nation’s largest umbrella labour union called an ‘indefinite general strike’ until Yoon resigns.
Even the leader of Yoon’s own ruling party described the attempt as ‘tragic’ while calling for those involved to be held accountable.
South Korean Yonhap news agency said the cabinet had agreed in the early hours of Wednesday to scrap the martial law.
Protesters outside parliament shouted and clapped while chanting ‘We won!’, and one demonstrator banged on a drum.
But Cho Kuk, head of a minor opposition party, met protesters outside parliament and said: ‘This isn’t over. He put all the people in shock.’ He vowed to impeach Yoon by putting together votes from other parties.
This is a breaking story, more to follow.
