South Korean opposition moves to impeach president after declaring martial law
SEOUL and LONDON — South Korea’s dominant opposition party moved Wednesday to impeach President Yoon Suk Yeol, submitting a motion a day after his declaration of martial law sparked a night of political chaos.
The opposition Democratic Party’s motion to impeach Yoon is expected to pass the National Assembly in the coming days, with a vote likely on Friday or Saturday. The measure would require a two-thirds majority to pass and would then be sent to South Korea’s Constitutional Court, which would have to approve the motion.
Lawmakers and members of South Korea’s main opposition party gathered in Seoul on Wednesday to call for Yoon’s resignation.
The Democratic Party, South Korea’s main opposition party, demonstrates against the country’s president at the National Assembly on December 4, 2024 in Seoul, South Korea.
Chung Sung-jun/Getty Images
“If Chairman Yoon does not resign immediately, we will immediately begin impeachment proceedings in accordance with the will of the people,” the Democratic Party said in a statement. “We will fight to the end with all the people to protect the democracy and constitutional order of the Republic of Korea.”
In declaring martial law in a televised speech Tuesday night, the president said the measure would be necessary because of the actions of the Democratic Party, a liberal coalition that Yoon accuses of controlling Parliament, sympathizing with North Korea and paralyzing the government.
In this image provided by the South Korean Presidential Office, South Korean President Yoon Suk-Yeol speaks during the declaration of emergency martial law at the presidential office on December 3, 2024 in Seoul, South Korea.
Handout/Getty Images
The declaration included a ban on political activities, including rallies and demonstrations. Yoon also called for an end to the “spread of fake news” and the manipulation of public opinion. All press would have been state controlled under the declaration.
The move sparked protests, and just hours after the declaration, the National Assembly voted early Wednesday morning to demand that the president lift the martial law order. A majority of Parliament voted to lift the decree requiring it to be subsequently lifted under South Korea’s constitution.
Lawmakers and members of the Democratic Party, South Korea’s main opposition party, hold signs reading “Yoon Suk Yeol should resign!” during a rally against President Yoon Suk Yeol at the National Assembly in Seoul on December 4, 2024.
Jung Yeon Je/AFP via Getty Images
After the National Assembly vote, Yoon said he had withdrawn troops deployed to enforce martial law and would “lift martial law as soon as we have a quorum in the cabinet.” The Council of State then met to vote on its official lifting.
Presidential Chief of Staff Jeong Jin-seok and nine other senior presidential secretaries have announced their resignations, South Korea’s presidential office told reporters Wednesday morning.
People take part in a candlelight vigil to protest against South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol in Seoul, December 4, 2024.
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A member of the conservative People Power Party, Yoon began his five-year term in May 2022 after winning power by a razor-thin margin.
A newcomer to politics before his election, Yoon spent his entire career as a prosecutor, making his name by prosecuting major political players, including President Park Geun Hye, who was impeached and removed from office in 2017.
Yoon was meeting with top South Korean political leaders in his office on Wednesday afternoon, Yonhap news agency reported.
The Democratic Party held a candlelight vigil in support of Yoon’s impeachment on the steps of the National Assembly on Wednesday evening.
ABC News’ Ellie Kaufman, Joe Simonetti, Dave Brennan and Meredith Deliso contributed to this report.
