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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