South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol is under increasing pressure to step down following his failed attempt to impose martial law, as parliament moves closer to voting on his impeachment.
Seoul has witnessed a second day of street protests calling for Yoon’s resignation, while police announced that he is under investigation for “insurrection.”
The opposition is pushing for an impeachment vote on Saturday, despite resistance from Yoon’s party. For the motion to pass with a two-thirds majority in the 300-seat parliament, at least eight members of Yoon’s party would need to support it.
South Korea was thrown into political chaos late Tuesday night when President Yoon Suk Yeol made a surprising declaration of martial law.
He justified the move by citing threats from “anti-state forces” and North Korea. However, it soon became apparent that the decision was driven not by external dangers, but by his own domestic political challenges.
Yoon rescinded the declaration six hours later after MPs voted against it. Some lawmakers even jumped over barricades and fences to bypass security forces and convene in parliament to overturn his decree.
His attempt to impose martial law has sparked public outrage and widespread protests. Since revoking the decision early Wednesday, Yoon has remained silent.
Prior to this incident, Yoon had been facing low approval ratings, corruption allegations, and a legislature controlled by the opposition, which had left him largely ineffective as a leader.
Additional anti-Yoon protests are planned for later Thursday in Seoul, with crowds expected to grow larger as people join after work or school. While some rallies in support of Yoon have taken place, they have been much smaller in scale.
Some lawmakers are staying near the National Assembly to ensure they are ready to invalidate any future martial law decrees, should Yoon attempt to impose one again.
Authorities have initiated an investigation into Yoon for alleged insurrection following a complaint filed by the opposition, according to Woo Jong-soo, head of the National Investigation Headquarters of the National Police Agency. Insurrection is a capital offense and cannot be shielded by presidential immunity.
The National Assembly also began its own investigation into the martial law declaration on Thursday.
“The Yoon Suk Yeol regime’s declaration of emergency martial law caused significant confusion and fear among our people,” said Kim Seung-won, a lawmaker from the opposition Democratic Party.
Why did South Korea’s president declare martial law, and what happens next?
On Thursday, Yoon’s defence minister, Kim Yong-hyun, resigned and took full responsibility for the martial law declaration.
It was Kim who suggested the martial law to Yoon, as confirmed by Interior Minister Lee Sang-min during a parliamentary hearing. Similar reports have been shared by South Korean media.
The hearing revealed that few were aware of Yoon’s plan. Vice Defence Minister Kim Seon-ho stated that he learned about it through the news.
Army Chief Park An-su explained that he only received the martial law notice on Tuesday night. “Four of us were reviewing the draft… While we are military experts, we are not martial law experts. Time was passing, and we kept asking, ‘What should we do?'” he told lawmakers.
A motion to impeach Yoon was introduced in parliament late Wednesday, and South Korean law mandates a vote within 72 hours.
The main opposition party, the Democratic Party, is pushing for the vote on Saturday evening.
If the impeachment is approved, the president will be immediately suspended, and the prime minister will assume the role of acting president.
A trial will follow in the Constitutional Court, a nine-member council that oversees South Korea’s branches of government. This process could take up to 180 days.
If six of the court’s members vote to uphold the impeachment, the president will be removed from office.
