South Korea's parliament voted early Saturday to impeach President Yoon Seok-yeol after a brief period of martial law plunged the country into a temporary political crisis.
Motion to impeach Yun passed 204-85, Associated Press reported. With the passing of the impeachment resolution, presidential power will be handed over to South Korean Prime Minister Han Deok-soo for the time being.
Japan's Constitutional Court is now tasked with deciding whether Yun should be formally removed from office. If that happens, an election would be held within 60 days, according to the Associated Press.
The first attempt to impeach Yun failed over the weekend when the opposition party failed to muster enough votes and some ruling party members left their seats, preventing the coalition from moving forward. Opposition leaders in South Korea's National Assembly criticized the incumbent president for declaring emergency martial law earlier this month, calling the National Assembly a “den of criminals.”
His announcement sparked protests outside the Capitol, where lawmakers fought off demonstrators and rallied to approve an injunction against Yoon's order. All 190 members of Congress who participated in the vote moved to block the declaration.
The president eventually apologized for his decision and promised not to repeat his actions.
He said at the time: “I am very sorry and sincerely apologize to those who may have been surprised.'' “We have no intention of avoiding the issues of legal and political responsibility associated with the declaration of martial law.”
According to the Associated Press, National Assembly Speaker Woo Won-sik praised the success of the impeachment as “the aspirations, courage, and dedication of the people in their quest for democracy.”
After the vote, Yun insisted he would “never give up” and called on officials to maintain stability in the government while his term of office was “temporarily” suspended.
“I will keep in mind all the criticism, encouragement, and support that has been directed at me, and will continue to do my best for the country until the last moment,” Yoon said in a statement, according to the news agency.
The Associated Press contributed reporting..
