The South Korean parliament has supported the impeachment of President Yun Seok-yeol, who had declared martial law the day before because of the threat of approving such a bill.
This was reported by KBS News and Yonhap.
The document was supported by 204 deputies, 85 were against, and three abstained. Despite the fact that the majority of representatives of the ruling People’s Power Party, which also includes President Yun Seok-yeol, wanted to avoid voting for impeachment, the decision was made anyway.
This was the second time that the vote to impeach the president was held, as the first attempt did not have enough votes to remove Yun Seok-you from power. Then, 105 out of 108 MPs from the ruling political force left the meeting room and did not participate in the vote.
Based on the results of the draft law, the president should be temporarily suspended from office. The Constitutional Court will then have 180 days to decide what to do. The judge can either remove him from the presidency or restore his powers.
During this period, Prime Minister Han Dok-soo will act as president. If the court does dismiss Yun Seok-yol, elections must be held within 60 days.
In his turn, Yun Seok-yol said he would defend himself to the last, thus defending the imposition of martial law. He added that this step was necessary to overcome the political deadlock and protect the country from opposition politicians.