South Korean parliament votes to impeach President Yoon Suk Yeol: Martial law decree sparks outrage, could lead to historic removal!

Seoul (The Uttam Hindu): On Saturday, South Korean lawmakers voted to impeach President Yoon Suk Yeol in a second impeachment motion, amid ongoing investigations into his controversial martial law decree issued on December 3, which is linked to allegations of rebellion. The vote saw all 300 members of the South Korean parliament participate, with 204 members voting in favor of impeachment.

President Yoon had narrowly survived a similar impeachment attempt the previous Saturday, as most members of his ruling party chose to boycott the session. However, public protests against his leadership have intensified, with his approval rating plummeting as thousands gathered in Seoul for competing rallies, both supporting and opposing him.

The impeachment motion followed an earlier unsuccessful attempt to dismiss Yoon over the martial law controversy. To pass, the motion required 200 votes, meaning the opposition needed the support of eight lawmakers from Yoon's conservative People Power Party (PPP). After the motion's approval, South Korea's Constitutional Court will decide whether to reinstate Yoon or remove him from office permanently. If the impeachment is upheld, Yoon will become the second president in South Korea’s history to face removal, after Park Geun-hye’s dismissal in 2017.

Park Geun-hye, South Korea's first female president and the daughter of former authoritarian leader Park Chung-hee, was impeached by the National Assembly in 2016. In March 2017, the Constitutional Court upheld the impeachment, leading to her prosecution and imprisonment. Park, once seen as a symbol of integrity, faced accusations of accepting bribes from major corporations like Samsung and mishandling classified information. She was also criticized for maintaining a blacklist of artists who opposed her policies and for removing officials who challenged her decisions.