The United States reiterated its support for South Korea, an East Asian ally, and vowed to advance mutual interests after the country's President Yun Seok-yew was impeached by Congress.
“The United States reiterates its support for the Republic of Korea (ROK), its people and democratic processes, and the rule of law. Our commitment to the U.S.-ROK alliance is ironclad,” State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said Saturday. . statement.
Miller said the alliance has made “significant progress” in recent years and the United States “looks forward to working with South Korea to achieve further progress.” We stand ready to continue this effort with Acting President Han Deok-soo and the Government of the Republic of Korea to promote mutual benefits and common values. ”
The State Department's statement came just hours after South Korea's parliament approved a motion to impeach the president on Saturday by a vote of 204 to 85. With Yoon's suspension, presidential power will be in the hands of South Korean Prime Minister Han Do-soo for the time being.
South Korea's Constitutional Court will now decide whether to formally remove the president from his post, and an election will be held within two months.
Yun's impeachment came just one week after Congress' first attempt to impeach the president failed because the opposition party that led the impeachment failed to secure enough votes to meet the criteria.
Yun's brief declaration of martial law sparked widespread protests in the country. A few days later, he eventually apologized and vowed never to do it again.
National Assembly Speaker Woo Won-sik declared the success of the parliament's impeachment attempt as “the aspirations, courage and dedication of the people in their quest for democracy,” Associated Press (AP) reported.
Following Saturday's results, Yun said in a statement: “I will take to heart all the criticism, encouragement and support that has been directed at me, and will continue to do my best for my country until the last moment.” (AP) .
