South Korea's leftist Democratic Party on Thursday formally filed an impeachment motion against conservative President Yoon Seok-yeol, the second such motion after the first one failed last weekend.
The Democratic Party, along with several other minority parties, joined several other minority parties in rejecting Yun's decision following a dramatic series of events in which he suddenly declared martial law on December 3 and sent soldiers to bar members of the Diet from the chamber. They are calling for impeachment. Yun said the measures were taken to “thwart the threat of the North Korean communist army, immediately eradicate the unscrupulous pro-North Korean anti-national forces that plunder the freedom and happiness of our people, and protect the free constitutional order.” argued that it was necessary.
In the end, Mr. Yoon simply presented evidence that the Democratic Party-led National Assembly is blocking his policy proposals, something that happens in nearly every republic where the executive and the legislature are different. Martial law lasted only six hours, with lawmakers storming into the chambers of Congress and elbowing their way past crowds of heavily armed soldiers, doing little to stop them. South Korea's constitution gives the National Assembly the power to overturn martial law with a vote, but martial law prohibits any political activity, including voting.
Yun's move to impose military rule caused anxiety among the people, and even the People's Power Party (PPP), to which he belongs, turned against him. However, opinions are divided within the party on how to deal with the issue, and leader Han Dong-hoon has called on the party to impeach and dismiss Yoon as soon as possible, but PPP members simply do not attend. blocked the first impeachment vote on Saturday and cannot vote because there is not a quorum.
Given that the first attempt to impeach Yun failed, the Democratic Party promised to hold impeachment votes every week until he was removed from office. The second impeachment motion is result The same was true in another final vote on Saturday afternoon, according to South Korea's Yonhap news agency.
There was no vote on the first motion, so PPP members are not on record as supporting or opposing impeachment. However, the Democratic Party's first motion was controversial because it cited not only the failure to impose military rule as grounds for impeachment, but also Yun's foreign policy, which had prioritized improving relations with the United States and Japan over communist China and Russia. Brewed. Democrats have traditionally favored a policy of appeasement toward the North, allowing bloodthirsty communist regimes to tighten their grip on power and increase threats to the South.
of Korea JoongAng Ilbo reported On Thursday, in a bid to encourage more PPP lawmakers to join, it announced a new impeachment motion would remove complaints that Yin was too anti-communist and focus instead on the martial law debacle. The inclusion of support for a more pro-communist foreign policy outraged the nation, and Democrats directly rescinded it this week.
“The Democratic Progressive Party's impeachment motion never included strengthening the Korea-U.S.-Japan alliance as a basis for impeachment, and the second motion does not include any related expressions,'' Cho Seung-rae, the party's chief spokesperson, said. I promised. “While the party has criticized Yun's ideologically biased diplomacy and obedient diplomacy toward Japan, the Democratic Progressive Party strongly believes that cooperation between South Korea, the United States, and Japan must be strengthened.”
An impeachment motion requires a two-thirds majority, meaning eight PPP members must vote in favor of the president's ouster. As of Thursday night, Yonhap News counted seven members of Congress supporting impeachment.
PPP leader Han also loudly reiterated his support for impeachment on Thursday. Mr. Han was one of the first to condemn martial law after Mr. Yun announced it on December 3.
“We must prevent further chaos. There is only one effective way for now,” Han said. said Reporters on Thursday. “When it comes to voting on the next (impeachment motion), members of our party should enter the chamber and participate in the vote based on their own beliefs and conscience.”
Mr. Yoon has largely remained out of the public eye since martial law was imposed. After rumors surfaced that he was planning to declare martial law a second time to make it clear that he had no intention of attempting military rule again, he apologized in a televised speech on Saturday.
“This declaration of martial law was born out of desperation as the president, the ultimate head of state. However, in the process, it has caused anxiety and discomfort to the people,” Yun said. said. “We deeply regret this incident and would like to sincerely apologize to those who may have been shocked.”
Yun promised, “Martial law will never be invoked a second time.''
But on Thursday morning, Mr. Yin defiantly appeared on television, defending martial law and repeating accusations of widespread communism among parliamentarians.
Yun said, “The National Assembly, which is controlled by a large opposition party, is not the foundation of liberal democracy, but a monster that destroys the constitutional liberal democratic order.'' claimed. “If this is not government paralysis and a national crisis, what is?”
Yun accused the Democratic Party of “abusing” the impeachment tool and refusing to accept the results of the free and fair election that appointed him president in 2022. He also accused the Democratic Party of “taking North Korea's side” on international issues and joked that he could do it himself. It's not about saying which country's parliament this is, North or South.
“The opposition parties are now doing a crazy sword dance saying that the declaration of emergency martial law is a crime of insurrection, but is that really the case?” Yun asked. “Who are the forces currently paralyzing the government and destroying South Korea’s constitution?”
Yun did not go into details, but promised to fight impeachment “resolutely.”
The major incident that occurred between Saturday's apology and Thursday's heated remarks appears to be Foreign Minister Kim Yong-hyun's suicide attempt on Tuesday. Kim, who? stock It is widely reported that Yun's alma mater, the high school, gave him the idea to impose martial law. Anonymous leaks to South Korean media indicate that some of Mr. Yoon's ministers were furious about the plan and discouraged him from carrying it out, but these reports consistently showed that Mr. Kim's decision prevailed. was.
Kim resigned and was imprisoned shortly after the failure of martial law. Prison guards reported that he attempted suicide on Tuesday but was unsuccessful.
In addition to impeachment, Yun also faces criminal charges. Prosecutors banned him from leaving the country, and police investigators filed treason charges against him.
