South Korea President Yoon faces second impeachment vote over martial law decree
The Hindu
South Korean President Yoon faces a second impeachment attempt after short-lived martial law, sparking political crisis and division within ruling party.
A defiant South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol faces a second impeachment vote on Saturday (December 14, 2024) over his short-lived attempt to impose martial law, a move that shocked the country, split his party and imperilled his presidency half way through his term.
His move to impose military rule on December 3 was rescinded barely six hours later after parliament defied troops and police to vote against the decree, but it plunged the country into a constitutional crisis and triggered widespread calls for him to step down for breaking the law.
Opposition parties plan to hold an impeachment vote at 4 p.m. (12.30 p.m. IST) on Saturday, with large demonstrations planned ahead of the vote.
Mr. Yoon's conservative People Power Party boycotted the first impeachment vote a week earlier, preventing a quorum.
Since then, PPP leader Han Dong-hoon has urged party members to vote for impeachment on Saturday, and at least seven PPP members have said they would vote to impeach.
The opposition parties control 192 of the 300 seats in the single-chamber parliament so they need at least eight PPP votes to reach the two-thirds threshold for impeachment.
Ahn Cheol-soo, a PPP lawmaker among those backing Mr. Yoon's impeachment, said in a Facebook post on Saturday that he would vote for impeachment "for the sake of swift stabilisation of people's livelihood, economy and diplomacy."
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