In a significant political development, South Korea's main liberal opposition Democratic Party, along with five minor parties, submitted a second impeachment motion against President Yoon Suk-yeol on Thursday. This action follows the dismissal of the first impeachment attempt last Saturday, which was shelved after lawmakers from the ruling People Power Party (PPP) boycotted the vote.
The opposition bloc is set to present the motion to a plenary session of the National Assembly on Friday, with a vote scheduled for 5:00 p.m. local time on Saturday. According to the South Korean constitution, at least two-thirds of the 300 National Assembly lawmakers must approve the impeachment for it to pass. Should the motion succeed, the constitutional court will deliberate on it for up to 180 days, during which President Yoon's powers would be suspended.
The impeachment stems from President Yoon's declaration of emergency martial law on the night of December 3, a move he defended as necessary to protect against what he termed a \"legislative dictatorship\" of the majority opposition. Although the martial law was revoked by the National Assembly hours later, the decision faced widespread criticism and calls for Yoon's resignation.
In a televised address defending his actions, Yoon asserted that the martial law declaration was legal and affirmed his commitment to the constitution, stating, \"I will fight to the end.\" However, the second impeachment vote is appearing increasingly unfavorable to Yoon, especially as Han Dong-hoon, the leader of Yoon's own party, has urged party members to vote in favor of impeachment on Saturday.
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S. Korea's opposition parties submit bill to impeach President Yoon
cgtn.com
