South Korea’s parliament passed a historic vote on Saturday to impeach President Yoon Suk Yeol amid ongoing investigations into alleged rebellion charges stemming from his controversial December 3 martial law declaration, which has thrown the nation into unprecedented political chaos.
The National Assembly ratified the impeachment motion with 204 votes in favor and 85 against. Following the delivery of impeachment documents to both Yoon and the Constitutional Court, the president’s powers and responsibilities will be immediately suspended.
The court now has 180 days to decide whether to remove Yoon from office or reinstate his authority. Should he be dismissed, the country must hold a presidential election within 60 days to select his replacement.
This highlights the second impeachment vote against Yoon in the National Assembly. He previously survived an initial attempt last Saturday when most ruling party members boycotted the proceedings.
However, despite this, several People Power Party legislators later pledged to support Yoon’s impeachment in a subsequent vote, as public outrage intensified and his popularity ratings dropped dramatically.
During the past two weeks, massive crowds numbering in the tens of thousands have defied freezing temperatures to gather nightly in Seoul’s streets, demanding Yoon’s removal and arrest. These protesters expressed their dissent through chants, songs, choreographed dances, and displays with K-pop light sticks. Meanwhile, smaller but still substantial groups of conservative supporters have organized counter rallies in Seoul, opposing the impeachment efforts. Both demonstrations have remained largely peaceful.
Though Yoon’s martial law implementation lasted merely six hours it triggered widespread political upheaval, disrupted diplomatic relations, and destabilized financial markets. Yoon was compelled to revoke his order after parliament voted unanimously to nullify it.
During the brief period of martial law, Yoon deployed hundreds of military personnel and police officers to the parliament building in an attempt to prevent the vote on his decree, though they withdrew after parliament rejected it. The situation did not escalate into significant violence.
Meanwhile, opposition groups and legal experts have accused Yoon of rebellion, citing legal provisions that define rebellion as inciting riots against state institutions to undermine constitutional order.
They feel that South Korean law only permits presidential martial law declarations during wartime or similar emergencies, and even then, presidents cannot suspend parliamentary operations.