Why have South Korea MPs voted to impeach President Yoon Suk Yeol? What’s next for him?

It has been 11 days of turmoil in South Korea. It all started with President Yoon Suk Yeol announcing martial law in the country, only to withdraw it hours later. That was the beginning of the end for him.

Calls grew for his ouster but Yoon remained defiant. He survived an impeachment vote last Saturday (December 7). However, as anger and protests against the president grew, the main opposition Democratic Party confirmed that it would try to impeach the president again on December 14.

However, he wasn’t second time lucky. The South Korean parliament voted to impeach Yoon, as his own ruling party turned on him after he refused to resign. How did the country get here? And what happens now?

More from Explainers

What the Zuck? Why Mark Zuckerberg’s neighbours are angry with him In Graphics | How Indians used UPI in July

Why were there attempts to impeach Yoon?

On December 3, Yoon appeared on television and declared martial law following a budget tussle with the opposition. He said that he wanted to protect the country from “threats posed by North Korea’s Communist forces and to eliminate anti-state elements plundering people’s freedom and happiness”.

Lawmakers rushed to the parliament to vote against the measure and an hour past midnight voted 190-0 to nullify the declaration. Yoon’s shocking move sparked protests with thousands thronging to the parliament.

At 4.49 am on December 4, Yoon appeared on television and said that he would lift martial law.

Hours later, the opposition vowed to push for impeachment and file an official motion.

What happened in the first impeachment?

At first, the head of Yoon’s People Power Party, Han Dong-hoon said he would block the impeachment motion. However, on December 6, he warned that South Korea was in “great danger” if the president remained in office, implying Yoon could declare martial law again.

He also said that “credible evidence” suggested that Yoon ordered the arrest of key politicians. Special Forces Commander Kwak Jong-geun too said that he was ordered to “drag out” lawmakers from parliament.

Editor’s Picks

1

Was South Korea’s First Lady behind President Yoon’s decision to impose martial law?

However, despite Han’s comments, the PPP decided late last Friday that it would still vote against the first impeachment.

On December 7, the day of the first impeachment, Yoon apologised for the “anxiety and inconvenience” and promised not to impose martial law for the second time.

Only eight of the party’s 108 MPs need to break ranks for it to pass. However, Yoon survived an impeachment vote as most ruling party lawmakers boycotted it, denying the motion the required two-thirds majority.

The Democratic Party vowed to prepare a new impeachment motion. A day later, it confirmed they would try to impeach the president again on December 14.

What has changed in the week since?

Tens of thousands of anti-Yoon protesters rallied outside parliament ahead of the first impeachment. The demonstrations have only grown since.

Meanwhile, Han said that the party had “effectively obtained” Yoon’s promise to step down. However, the president remained defiant.

On December 12, Yoon defended his decision to declare martial law, blaming the opposition for pushing the country into a “national crisis”. He said he would “fight with the people until the very last minute”.

That was enough for PPP leader Han to change his stance to support the impeachment.

On Friday (December 13), a day before the impeachment, Opposition leader Lee Jae-myung urged ruling party lawmakers to side with the “people” and impeach Yoon. Seven lawmakers from Yoon’s ruling party pledged to back the impeachment, leaving one vote needed for the motion to pass.

What happened during the second impeachment?

Of 300 lawmakers, 204 voted to impeach President Yoon on allegations of insurrection while 85 voted against the motion. Three abstained with eight votes nullified.

Speaker Woo Won-shik announced the impeachment vote had passed and concluded the session.

“To the people, we hope your end of year will be a little happier now, and all your cancelled year-end celebrations to be restored,” he said. “The future of the Republic of Korea and our hope is in the hands of the people, our hope is strong. Thank you very much.”

What happens next?

The impeachment does not guarantee that Yoon will be permanently removed from office. While his presidential powers have been suspended, he retains his immunity for most charges except for insurrection or treason.

The constitutional court must decide within 180 days whether to remove Yoon from office or reject the impeachment and restore his powers. If the court removes Yoon or he resigns, a presidential election must be held within 60 days.

The court could hold its first hearings any time after it receives parliament’s impeachment resolution.

Opposition Democratic Party lawmaker Jung Chung-rae, the head of parliament’s Legislation and Judiciary Committee, will lead the case for removing Yoon.

Yoon’s legal team has not been announced, but his background as a prosecutor has sparked reports that he could turn to former colleagues or even represent himself, reports Reuters.

The constitutional court will convene on Monday morning (December 16) to discuss the schedule of Yoon’s impeachment trial, local media has reported. The court will also set a date for the public hearing, though it’s unclear if Yoon will be on the stand in person, reports the BBC.

However, there are some impediments to the court ruling.

Under South Korea’s constitution, six justices must agree in order to oust an impeached president. The nine-member Constitutional Court now has three vacancies, so the current justices would have to vote unanimously to remove Yoon.

The three vacancies are allotted for parliament to fill, but the opposition and ruling parties in the legislature have yet to agree on judicial appointments, reports Reuters.

The main opposition Democratic Party, which has a majority in parliament, is seeking to fill the vacancies, and acting president Han, despite being named prime minister by Yoon, is known for his work across multiple administrations and is not expected to block any opposition nominees.

Democratic Party spokesperson Jo Seoung-lae said on Wednesday that parliament is expected to name justices by the end of the year.

Who is in charge of South Korea now?

Yoon-appointed Prime Minister Han Duck-soo will take over as acting president. He said that he would do his best to run the government as acting president. “I will devote all my strength and effort to stable operation of state affairs,” he said after the voting.

Han is expected to hold an ad hoc Cabinet meeting today (November 14), reports Yonhap news agency.

How has Yoon reacted to the impeachment?

Yoon on Saturday said he would “step aside” after parliament voted to remove him from office, urging an end to “politics of excess and confrontation”. “Though I must now step aside for a while, the journey toward the future… must never come to a stop,” he said in a televised address.

With inputs from agencies