SEOUL – South Korea's opposition on Wednesday tabled a motion to impeach President Yoon Suk Yeol over the shocking and temporary martial law that drew troops to surround parliament before lawmakers scaled walls to re-enter the building and voted unanimously to lift his order.
Impeaching Yoon would need the support of two-thirds of parliament and at least six judges of the nine-member Constitutional Court would need to support him to remove him from office. The proposal, submitted jointly by the main opposition Democratic Party and five smaller opposition parties, could be voted on on Friday.
Yoon's top advisers and secretaries offered joint resignations and his Cabinet members, including Defense Minister Kim Yong Hyun, also faced calls for him to step down, as the country struggled to make sense of what appeared to be a miscalculation.
In his speech announcing the emergency order on Tuesday night, Yoon vowed to eradicate “anti-state” forces and continued to criticize parliament's efforts to impeach key government officials and chief prosecutors. But martial law only lasted about six hours, as the National Assembly voted to impeach Yoon and the proclamation was officially lifted around 4:30 a.m. during a Cabinet meeting.
The opposition Democratic Party, which holds the majority in the 300-seat parliament, said on Wednesday its lawmakers have decided to ask Yoon to resign immediately or they will take steps to impeach him.
“President Yoon Suk Yeol's declaration of martial law was a clear violation of the constitution. It did not comply with any of the requirements to announce it,” said the statement of the Democratic Party. “His declaration of martial law was initially illegal and unconstitutional. It was a heinous act of treason and provides full grounds for his impeachment.”
Impeachment would require the support of 200 of the 300 members of the National Assembly. The Democratic Party and other small opposition parties together have 192 seats. But the rejection of Yoon's martial law declaration by a vote of 190-0 included the votes of 18 members of Yoon's ruling People Power Party, according to National Assembly officials.
People Power Party leader Han Dong-hun, who has a long relationship with Yoon since their days as prosecutors, criticized Yoon's declaration of martial law as “unconstitutional.”
Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon, seen as a possible presidential hopeful for the People Power Party, said Yoon's declaration of martial law was against the “basic spirit of democracy” and that the deployment of troops to the National Assembly was a divisive act. of power.
“Right now, the urgent task is a thorough investigation. For this, we must clearly answer those who participated in the destruction of democracy,” said Oh in a television statement.
If Yoon is tried, he will be stripped of his constitutional powers until the Constitutional Court issues a ruling. Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, the No. 1 position 2 in the South Korean government, he will assume his presidential responsibilities. As calls mounted for Yoon's cabinet to resign, Han issued a public message asking for patience and asking cabinet members to “do your duties even after this time.”
The Constitutional Court has only six judges following the resignation of three, which means one less than the seven needed to handle the impeachment case, requiring lawmakers to speed up the process of appointing new judges.
Yoon's declaration of martial law, the first of its kind in more than 40 years, echoed South Korea's previous military-backed government in which authorities periodically declared martial law and other laws that allowed them to station troops, tanks and armored vehicles on streets or in public places such as schools to prevent anti-government protests. Such scenes of military intervention had not been seen since South Korea achieved true democracy in the late 1980s until Tuesday night.
After Yoon's announcement, soldiers in full military gear, including guns, tried to prevent protesters from entering the National Assembly as military helicopters flew overhead and landed nearby. One soldier pointed his gun at a woman who was among the protesters outside the building demanding the lifting of martial law.
It was not clear how the 190 lawmakers were able to enter the parliament hall to vote to repeal Yoon's martial law. Opposition leader Lee Jae-myung live-streamed himself climbing the wall, and while the military and police prevented others from entering they did not arrest or force others.
No major violence was reported. Soldiers and police were later seen leaving the premises of the National Assembly after parliament voted to lift martial law. Speaker of the National Assembly Woo Won Shik said: “Even with our misfortune of remembering the military coup, our citizens have seen the events of today and seen the maturity of our army.”
Han, the leader of the People Power Party, demanded that Yoon explain his decision and fire Defense Minister Kim Yong Hyun, who he said recommended martial law to Yoon. The Ministry of Defense has not commented.
Under South Korea's constitution, the president can declare martial law during “time of war, war-like situations or other similar national emergencies” that require the use of military force to limit freedom of the press, assembly and other peacekeeping rights. Many observers wonder if South Korea is in a similar situation.
The constitution also states that the president must take responsibility if the National Assembly wants martial law to be lifted with a majority vote.
Some experts say Yoon clearly violated the constitution by imposing martial law. While martial law allows for “special measures” to limit individual liberties and the authority of agencies and courts, the constitution does not allow parliament's functions to be restricted. But following Yoon's announcement on Tuesday, the South Korean military announced that parliamentary activities had been suspended and deployed troops to try to prevent lawmakers from entering the National Assembly.
Park Chan-dae, who is the leader of the Democratic Party, called for Yoon to be immediately investigated for treason charges for the way he sent soldiers to the parliament. Although the president enjoys immunity from prosecution while in office, the immunity does not extend to allegations of sedition or treason.
In Washington, the White House said the US was “deeply concerned” by the events in Seoul. A spokesman for the National Security Council said President Joe Biden's administration was not notified in advance of the martial law declaration and was in contact with the South Korean government.
Pentagon spokesman Maj. General Pat Ryder said there was no effect on the more than 27,000 American service members stationed in South Korea.
In Seoul, the streets seemed as busy as a normal day on Wednesday.
Tourist Stephen Rowan, from Brisbane, Australia, who visited Gyeongbokgung Palace, said he was not interested at all.
“But again, I don't understand much about the political situation in Korea,” he said. “But I hear that now they are saying that the current president should be removed from office, so… obviously there will be many protests. … I would be worried if martial law was always in effect.”
Yoon's government and ruling party have clashed with the Democratic Party over next year's budget bill and a Democratic Party-led effort to impeach three top prosecutors.
Natalia Slavney, a research analyst at the Stimson Center's 38 North website that focuses on Korean affairs, said Yoon's imposition of martial law is a “major setback for democracy” that follows a “worrying trend of abuse” since he took office in 2022.
South Korea “has a strong history of political diversity and is not known for mass protests and quick impeachment,” Slavney said, citing the example of former President Park Geun-hye, who was ousted and jailed for bribery and other crimes in 2017. .He was later pardoned.
— Associated Press writer Jennifer McDermott contributed to this report.
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