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It had 198 votes in favour but needed 200 to pass, BBC News reports.
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The bill had addressed her alleged involvement in a stock manipulation scheme, as well as alleged interference in election nominations through a power broker.
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As the plenary session got under way in South Korea’s national assembly, some members of the ruling People Power Party walked out of chamber after voting on the special counsel appointment in the first lady’s case.
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It appears they are boycotting the upcoming impeachment vote, BBC News reports. Some opposition MPs shouted at the ruling party lawmakers: “Traitors, go back in”.
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However, some have remained in their seats. The speaker has also asked an MP to stop streaming the session on YouTube.
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Yoon’s ruling People Power party (PPP) will vote down the impeachment motion against him, the national news wire Yonhap reports.
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The opposition needs eight lawmakers from the PPP to vote in favour of the impeachment to reach the 200 of 300 lawmakers required to impeach the president.
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We’ll bring you more details when we have them.
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Hello and welcome to the Guardian’s live coverage of the political crisis in South Korea, where lawmakers are preparing to vote on a motion to impeach President Yoon Suk Yeol after his failed attempt to impose martial law earlier this week.
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Yoon addressed the nation for the first time since rescinding the order on Wednesday, just six hours after imposing it, apologising for his actions and promising not to attempt it a second time.
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He said he would accept the legal and political consequences and bowed to the nation during the address, however he did not resign and it remains unclear whether the opposition has enough votes to impeach him.
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That would require support from 200 of the National Assembly’s 300 members but the opposition parties that jointly brought the impeachment motion only have 192 seats combined meaning they need at least eight votes from Yoon’s ruling People Power party (PPP).
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PPP leader Han Dong-hun has called the president a danger to the country. However, he is not a lawmaker and cannot vote, and the PPP decided to oppose impeachment at a lawmakers’ meeting on Thursday.
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Thousands of people rallied in Yeouido, where the national assembly is located ahead of the vote, calling for Yoon to go, the national news wire Yonhap reported.
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Yoon’s attempt on Tuesday to impose South Korea’s first state of martial law in over four decades plunged the country into the deepest turmoil in its modern democratic history and caught its close allies around the world off guard.
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Here’s what else you need to know:
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Lee Jae-myung, the leader of the main opposition Democratic party, dismissed Yoon’s apology as “very disappointing” and said it had only increased public anger and betrayal. “The president’s very existence is the biggest risk to South Korea right now,” Lee said, maintaining that there was “no other solution” than his immediate resignation or removal through impeachment.
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PPP leader Han said after the address that the president’s early resignation was unavoidable and that he was no longer in a position to fulfil his duty. Han also said he would meet with prime minister Han Duck-soo ahead of the vote.
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The national news agency Yonhap said the PPP may be looking at ways to amend the constitution to allow Yoon to make a more orderly exit, rather than being impeached. If he is removed from office, Yoon would become only the second president of South Korea since it became a democracy to have met that fate. The other was Park Geun-hye, who was removed in 2017. Ironically, Yoon, the then prosecutor general, led the corruption case that precipitated Park’s downfall.
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Parliament is also expected to vote on a fourth attempt to establish a special counsel to investigate Yoon’s wife, Kim Keon Hee, right before the impeachment motion. The strategy appears designed to ensure ruling party lawmakers attend both votes, rather than boycotting the crucial impeachment decision through absence.
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On Friday, Han said he had received intelligence that during the brief period of martial law, Yoon ordered the country’s defence counterintelligence commander to arrest and detain unspecified key politicians based on accusations of “anti-state activities”. The targeted politicians included Han, Lee Jae-myung and the National Assembly speaker Woo Won Shik, according to a lawmaker who attended a briefing with the first deputy director of South Korea’s National Intelligence Service.
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main events
South Korean National Assembly rejects special prosecutor investigation bill against first lady
The special prosecutor bill regarding the first lady has not yet been passed and appears to have been rejected by just two votes.
According to BBC News, there were 198 votes in favor, but 200 votes were needed for passage.
The bill also addressed allegations that she was involved in a stock-market manipulation scheme and interfered in election nominations through power brokers.
Ruling party members leave the chamber after the first vote
When the plenary session of the South Korean National Assembly began, some members of the ruling People's Power Party left the chamber after voting on the appointment of a special prosecutor in the case of the first lady.
According to BBC News, they appear to be boycotting the upcoming impeachment vote. Some opposition members shouted at ruling party members, “Go back, traitors!''
But some people remain in their seats. He also asked MPs to stop streaming sessions on YouTube.
Rafael Rashid
of Korean Bar Association On Saturday morning, he supported impeachment. states They argued that Yun's declaration of martial law did not meet constitutional requirements and that he was no longer qualified to serve as president.
The influential group, which has 30,000 members, said it supports efforts to investigate Yun on riot charges regardless of the outcome of the impeachment vote.
Ruling party to reject Yoon's impeachment bill Yonhap News
According to a report from the national news agency Yonhap News, Yun's ruling People's Power Party (PPP) plans to reject the impeachment motion against him.
For the opposition to reach 200 of the 300 members needed to impeach the president, eight PPP members would need to vote in favor of impeachment.
We will notify you once the details are decided.
Below are photos taken from the protest outside the Capitol.
According to a report by national news agency Yonhap News, ahead of the impeachment vote, members of civil society organizations from across the country gathered in Seoul to participate in a demonstration in front of the National Assembly.
According to Yonhap News, the Democratic Labor Federation of Korea, one of the country's largest umbrella labor unions, joined the thousands of protesters who protested in front of the National Assembly on Saturday ahead of the impeachment vote. .
“Apologies cannot cover up treason,” the group said in a statement, calling for Yoon's “immediate impeachment and arrest.”
Yonhap News also reported that police have detained a man in his 50s who attempted self-immolation in protest of Yun's declaration of martial law, according to officials.
Opening overview
Hello. Welcome to the Guardian's live coverage of South Korea's political crisis. Lawmakers are preparing to vote on a motion to impeach the president Yoon Seok Yeol After a failed attempt to impose martial law earlier this week.
On Wednesday, Yin addressed the nation for the first time since revoking the order just six hours after it was issued, apologizing for his actions and promising never to issue the same order again.
He said he would accept the legal and political consequences and bowed to the nation during a speech, but he has not resigned and it remains unclear whether the opposition has enough votes to impeach him. is.
To do so would require the support of 200 out of 300 members of the National Assembly, but the opposition parties that co-submitted the impeachment bill have only 192 seats in total, and Yun's ruling People's Power Party (PPP) At least 8 votes are required from
PPP leader Han Dong Hoon He called the president a danger to the country. However, since he is not a lawmaker, he cannot vote, and the PPP decided against impeachment at Thursday's parliamentary meeting.
According to Yonhap News, a national news agency, several thousand people held a rally in Yeouido, where the National Assembly is located, ahead of the vote, demanding Yoon step down.
Mr. Yoon's attempt on Tuesday to impose martial law in South Korea for the first time in more than 40 years plunged South Korea into the deepest turmoil in modern democratic history and caught close allies around the world by surprise.
Here's what else you need to know:
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Lee Jae-myung, leader of the largest opposition party, the Democratic Party of Japan, said: fired He said Yoon's apology was “very unfortunate” and would only increase public anger and betrayal.. “The very existence of the president is the biggest risk to South Korea right now,'' Lee said, insisting that “there is no solution'' other than immediate resignation or removal from office through impeachment.
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Democratic Progressive Party leader Han said after his speech that the president's early resignation is inevitable. and that he is no longer in a position to fulfill his obligations.. Mr. Han also said he would meet with Prime Minister Han Do-soo ahead of the vote.
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State news agency Yonhap News reported that the Democratic Progressive Party may be considering amending the constitution to allow for a more orderly withdrawal of Yun, rather than impeachment.. If Yoon is removed from office, he will be the second president to suffer such a fate since South Korea became a democracy. The other is Park Geun-hye, who was dismissed in 2017. Ironically, it was Yoon, then the prosecutor general, who led the corruption scandal that led to Park Geun-hye's downfall.
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The National Assembly is also scheduled to vote for the fourth time to appoint a special prosecutor to investigate Kim Gun-hee, Yoon's wife, just before the impeachment motion. This strategy appears aimed at ensuring that members of the ruling party are present for both votes, rather than absenteeism and boycotting key impeachment decisions.
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On Friday, Mr. Han disclosed information that during the brief period of martial law, Mr. Yun had ordered the defense counterintelligence commander to arrest and detain unspecified key politicians based on accusations of “anti-state activities.” He said he got it.. According to a lawmaker who attended the meeting with the first deputy director of South Korea's National Intelligence Service, the politicians targeted included Han, Lee Jae-myung, and National Assembly Speaker Woo Won-sik.
