South Korea’s National Assembly is preparing for a crucial vote on Saturday regarding the impeachment of President Yoon Suk Yeol, following his controversial attempt to impose martial law. This marks the second attempt to remove Yoon, after the first vote last week failed to gain enough support. The vote, scheduled for around 4:00 pm (0700 GMT), will determine if Yoon should be impeached for “insurrectionary acts undermining the constitutional order.”
To pass the impeachment motion, 200 votes are required, meaning the opposition must convince at least eight members of Yoon’s conservative People Power Party (PPP) to defect. As of Friday afternoon, seven PPP lawmakers had expressed their support for impeachment, leaving the final outcome uncertain.
The push for impeachment stems from public outrage over Yoon’s short-lived martial law declaration, which involved sending soldiers and helicopters to Parliament on December 3-4. Thousands of South Koreans have protested in the streets of Seoul, demanding Yoon’s resignation and imprisonment.
On Friday, Lee Jae-myung, leader of the opposition Democratic Party, urged PPP lawmakers to stand with the protesters and vote to remove Yoon from office. “What lawmakers must protect is not Yoon or the PPP, but the lives of the people crying out in the freezing streets,” Lee said, calling on them to make a historic choice.
Last week, two PPP lawmakers supported the impeachment motion, and opposition member Kim Min-seok expressed confidence that the motion would likely pass, stating he was “99 percent” sure of the outcome.
