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South Korea impeaches President over martial law

Constitutional Court has 180 days to either dismiss Yoon Suk Yeol or restore his powers

AP/PTI

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  • South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol speaks at the presidential residence in Seoul, South Korea on Saturday. PHOTO: AP/PTI

Seoul, 14 Dec


South Korea's Parliament voted Saturday to impeach President Yoon Suk Yeol as authorities investigate allegations of rebellion over his controversial 3 December martial law decree that has caused huge political turmoil in the country.

 

The National Assembly passed the motion 204-85 in a floor vote. Yoon's presidential powers and duties will be suspended after the copies of a document on the impeachment are delivered to him and to the Constitutional Court.

 

The court has up to 180 days to determine whether to dismiss Yoon as president or restore his powers. If he's thrown out of office, a national election to choose his successor must be held within 60 days.

 

Also Read | South Korea's Oppn submits motion to impeach Prez over martial law


It was the second National Assembly vote on Yoon's impeachment motion. Last Saturday, Yoon survived an impeachment vote after most ruling party lawmakers boycotted the floor vote. Some People Power Party lawmakers had since announced their intentions to vote for Yoon's impeachment in a second vote, as public protests against Yoon intensified and his approval rating plummeted.

 

Tens of thousands of people have braved the bitter cold and poured onto the streets of the capital, Seoul, every night for the past two weeks, calling for Yoon's ouster and arrest.

 

They shouted slogans, sang, danced and waved K-pop light sticks. Smaller groups of Yoon's conservative supporters — still in the thousands — have also been rallying in Seoul, denouncing attempts to impeach the president. Both rallies have largely been peaceful.

 

Yoon's martial law imposition, the first of its kind in more than four decades in South Korea, lasted only six hours, but has caused massive political tumult, halted diplomatic activities and rattled financial markets. Yoon was forced to lift his decree after parliament unanimously voted to overturn it.

 

After declaring martial law, Yoon sent hundreds of troops and police officers to the parliament to try to impede its vote on the decree before they withdrew after the parliament rejected it. No major violence occurred.

 

The impeachment motion alleged that Yoon “committed rebellion that hurts peace on the Republic of Korea by staging a series of riots.” -PTI

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