In a dramatic turn of events, South Korea’s parliament on Saturday failed to pass the impeachment motion against President Yoon Suk-yeol, as members of the ruling People Power Party (PPP) walked out of the assembly, leading to a lack of quorum.
The impeachment motion, initiated by the opposition Democratic Party and five other minor parties, stemmed from President Yoon’s recent declaration of martial law and ongoing scandals involving his wife, Kim Keon-hee.
Ruling Party Walkout
After voting against a bill to investigate the First Lady’s alleged involvement in various scandals, most of the 108 PPP lawmakers exited the National Assembly hall. Only one ruling party lawmaker remained, while two others returned after initially leaving.
The parliament, consisting of 300 lawmakers, required at least 200 votes in favor for the impeachment to pass. With the PPP’s absence, only 198 lawmakers voted on the motion—falling short of the necessary threshold.
Opposition lawmakers called out to their absent colleagues by name, urging them to return and fulfill their legislative duties. Despite waiting for three hours, National Assembly Speaker Woo Won-shik declared the impeachment motion invalid due to the lack of quorum.
Public Outcry and Controversy
Outside the parliament, hundreds of thousands of civilians held a candlelight rally, demanding the impeachment proceedings move forward. The public dissatisfaction centered around President Yoon’s unexpected declaration of martial law earlier in the week.
On Tuesday night, President Yoon declared an emergency martial law without apparent signs of a national crisis—a move the opposition parties labeled as unconstitutional and an overreach of executive power. Although the martial law was repealed early Wednesday after parliamentary pushback, the incident sparked accusations of attempted treason and misuse of military authority.
The opposition claimed that President Yoon sought to mobilize troops illegally to suppress calls for investigations into alleged criminal activities involving himself and the First Lady.
Scandals Involving the First Lady
First Lady Kim Keon-hee has faced scrutiny over suspicions of stock price manipulation for illicit profits, interference in candidate nominations for the 2022 by-elections and the upcoming 2024 parliamentary elections, and alleged manipulation of public opinion during the 2022 presidential election.
The bill proposing a special prosecutor to investigate these allegations was a key point of contention that led to the ruling party’s walkout.
Declining Approval Ratings
According to a recent survey by local pollster Realmeter, 73.6% of respondents supported President Yoon’s impeachment, with only 24% opposing. Notably, even in traditional conservative strongholds like North Gyeongsang Province and the city of Daegu, support for impeachment stood at 66.2%.
A Gallup Korea poll indicated that President Yoon’s approval rating dropped by 3 percentage points to 16% this week, marking the lowest since he took office in May 2022.
Looking Ahead
The failure of the impeachment motion highlights the deepening political divide in South Korea. With public dissatisfaction growing and opposition parties mobilizing, the coming weeks may see increased pressure on the administration to address the allegations and restore public trust.
Reference(s):
South Korea's impeachment vote fails as ruling party walks out
cgtn.com
