Lawmakers in South Korea’s National Assembly voted narrowly on December 14 to impeach President Yoon Suk Yeol over his abrupt decision to declare martial law the previous week, which the opposition has called a self-coup attempt. The vote was 204 to 85, with three abstentions and eight invalid ballots.
“Today the National Assembly voted in favor of President Yoon’s impeachment. It is a decision made on behalf of the promise we made as the people’s representative to protect the constitution,” said National Assembly Speaker Woo Won-shik as he declared Yoon suspended from presidential duties.
“Democracy is realized through the lives of people. We will move forward. We hope people’s lives are quickly stabilized,” Woo added.
South Korea’s Constitutional Court has up to 180 days to deliberate the impeachment motion. Yoon is the third President in South Korean history to be impeached by Seoul’s legislative branch, after former President Roh Moo-hyun in 2004 and President Park Geun-hye in 2016.
The former’s impeachment motion was dismissed by the court after 63 days, while the latter’s impeachment was confirmed after 93 days.
The impeachment motion on Saturday accused Yoon of “unconstitutionally declaring martial law,” and oppressing the National Assembly. It also called out the President for illegally trying to arrest key politicians and raiding the National Election Commission.
Yoon denied these claims during a televised address on December 12, claiming that he declared martial law to warn the public of the opposition’s “legislative dictatorship.” Yoon railed at the opposition parties, calling them pro-North Korean, anti-state forces.
After his impeachment on Saturday, Yoon said in a statement, “While I may come to a stop for now, the journey toward the future that I have walked with the people over the past two and a half years must never be halted” while vowing “never to give up.”
Constitutional Court holds the cards
With Yoon’s impeachment motion passed, Prime Minister Han Duck-soo will assume the role of Acting President until the Court’s final decision.
“In these hard times, I will do my best to stabilize the country,” said the prime minister after Yoon was impeached by the legislature. However, Prime Minister Han also faces a probe by the police for his role in Yoon’s martial law decree.
South Korea’s largest opposition party, the Democratic Party said it currently has no intention of impeaching Prime Minister Han but could pursue the motion in the future.
“There are many internal controversies related to the impeachment of Prime Minister Han Duck-soo,” said Democratic Party spokesperson Hwang Jung-ah. “But we will come to a conclusion after taking different domestic situations into account.”
Meanwhile, Yoon’s impeachment trial faces institutional hurdles. Seoul’s Constitutional Court currently has only six justices serving on its nine-person panel after three retired in October. According to law, at least seven judges need to be present to deliberate an impeachment motion, and six need to rule in favor of upholding the motion.
The Democratic Party said it would recommend justices to the panel by the end of this month. The appointment of a Constitutional Court justice requires the President’s confirmation—in this case exercised by Prime Minister Han. However, experts say this rule can technically be bypassed.
“The clause requiring the deliberation of at least seven justices was temporarily suspended in October, during a trial to impeach Korea’s Communications Commissioner,” said South Korean lawyer Lee Ju-ha, and the requirement now is simply that “all six need to rule in favor of the motion.”
Lee predicted that the impeachment would most likely be upheld by the Constitutional Court: “The entire martial law declaration process was unconstitutional and illegal, and Yoon invaded the National Assembly with armed soldiers.”
She added: “The President has a constitutional duty to protect the constitution and the civil rights and livelihoods of the Korean people. But the [martial law] decree completely violated the constitution, rule of law, parliamentarism and the structure of governance.”
“That is more than enough cause to be impeached.”
If Yoon’s impeachment is confirmed by the Constitutional Court, South Korea will have 60 days to elect a new president. A poll conducted on December 8 found that 52% of South Koreans favored Democratic Party leader Lee Jae-myung for the next presidency. Ruling party leader Han Dong-hoon trailed behind at 9%.
Who is Lee Jae-myung?
Lee is a seasoned politician who served two terms in the legislative chamber. Lee ran against Yoon in the 2022 Presidential Elections, losing by a margin of only 0.73%–the smallest in South Korean history.
Lee, a factory laborer-turned-politician, is considered by his supporters as a strong progressive force who can challenge Korea’s established institutions. During his last presidential campaign, Lee called for radical reforms to Korea’s welfare schemes including a monthly stipend of 200,000 Korean won ($139.99) for each child under 17, a loan of 100 million Korean won for newlyweds and a halving of public university tuition charges.
Meanwhile, Lee’s policies towards North Korea focus on cooperation and peaceful coexistence. In 2022, Lee vowed to ease sanctions on North Korea and to foster new inter-Korean projects.
His views on North Korea closely mirror those of former President Moon Jae-in, who met North Korean Chairman Kim Jong-un in 2018 to broker a military peace deal. The agreement was scrapped by President Yoon in 2023.
However, Lee’s diplomatic views may prove an obstacle to South Korea’s alliance with the United States. Lee is a strong critic of Yoon’s diplomatic policies of cozying up with Japan, saying there should be “a complete reconsideration concerning South Korea’s military cooperation with Japan.”
US President-elect Donald Trump’s aides have told South Korean and Japanese officials that the Trump administration will continue to support Biden-era efforts to strengthen three-way ties, according to Reuters. The birth of a new progressive administration in Seoul led by Lee could jeopardize such initiatives.
Addressing such concerns on December 13, DP Representative Kang Sun-woo said that the Democratic Party “is committed to fostering a constructive and forward-looking relationship with Japan. Cooperation among South Korea, the US, and Japan is vital.”
Optimism and hope
Despite this deepening political turmoil, South Koreans on the streets rejoiced at Yoon’s impeachment.
Demonstrations in front of the National Assembly quickly turned to festive celebrations when Assembly Speaker Woo appeared on a large screen to declare Yoon impeached.
Protesters held light sticks up in the air and danced to K-pop music. Some embraced one another and fell to tears.
“I was so happy. This result was made by the people, for the people,” said 26-year-old Kim Ye-sol. “I almost cried.”
The protester’s chants switched from “impeach Yoon Suk Yeol!” to “arrest the traitor Yoon Suk Yeol!”
Yoon’s arrest is becoming a growing possibility, as the local police accelerate their probe into a possible insurrection charge against the suspended President.
Following the vote, DP leader Lee Jae-myung said this was a victory for the people. “We have proved that it is the people who own this country,” Lee said.
Yoon’s office said, “President Yoon Suk Yeol will do his best for the people, until the very end.”
