South Korean president vows to “never give up” after impeachment vote

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South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol has vowed to “never give up” after the country’s national assembly voted to impeach him on Saturday.

Yoon, who last week launched a failed attempt to impose military rule in Asia’s fourth-largest economy, described his impeachment as a “temporary pause,” saying in a televised speech that he was “frustrated to think that all my efforts (as president) could have been in vain.”

“Although I am pausing for now, the journey into the future that I have been on with people for the past two and a half years must never stop,” he added.

Yoon’s comments came after the national assembly voted in favor of his impeachment by a margin of 204 to 85.

The vote means Yoon will be suspended from office and his constitutional authority will pass to Prime Minister Han Duck-soo on an interim basis while the country’s constitutional court deliberates whether to approve Yoon’s removal as head of state.

The Constitutional Court is supposed to issue a verdict within six months of the parliamentary vote, but this deadline is not binding. Once the verdict is issued, presidential elections must be held within 60 days.

“My heart is very heavy,” Han told reporters after the vote, vowing to do everything possible to achieve a period of stable government.

Opposition parties, which together hold 192 seats in the 300-seat legislature, only needed the support of eight of 108 lawmakers from the president’s Popular Power party (PPP) to secure the required two-thirds majority.

Yoon survived an impeachment motion last Saturday after lawmakers from the conservative PPP boycotted the vote. But the mood in the party began to shift against him on Thursday after a speech during which the president lashed out at his critics and vowed to “fight to the end.”

While the PPP’s official policy remains to oppose Yoon’s impeachment, leader Han Dong-hoon said Thursday that members should vote with their conscience. All 300 members of the national assembly participated in the vote, which was held by secret ballot. Three abstained and there were eight null votes.

“Yoon sparked a rebellion that paralyzed the constitutional order,” Park Chan-dae, parliamentary leader of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea (DPK), told lawmakers before the vote.

“The National Assembly must suspend its functions using the powers granted to it by the Constitution,” he added. “This is the quickest and most orderly way to resolve the situation.”

The result was greeted with cheers and applause by tens of thousands of people gathered in front of the parliament building in Seoul to urge lawmakers to vote in favor of impeachment.

“I’m very happy now, but this is just the beginning,” said Seo Mi-ju, a protester who works in education. “I will fight to the end until he is arrested and punished.”

Simon Henderson, deputy Asia director at the advocacy organization Human Rights Watch, said Yoon’s impeachment “serves as a reminder of how close democratic South Korea came to the brink of martial law, recalling the dark history of military dictatorship.” of the country”.

“Instead, the people of South Korea and lawmakers have stood up and fought to protect their democracy and human rights,” he added. “The impeachment process highlights how checks and balances are essential to stopping abuses of power and supporting the rule of law.”

Analysts said Saturday’s vote was unlikely to mark the end of political turmoil.

Yoon allegedly sent troops to storm the national assembly in a failed attempt to prevent lawmakers from voting to reject his decree imposing military rule.

Some opposition voices have suggested that Premier Han, now acting president, should also be charged for his role in the martial law episode as Yoon’s chief of staff.

The last South Korean president to be impeached was the conservative Park Geun-hye, who was ousted in 2017 after a bribery and influence scandal that sparked large street demonstrations.