South Korean motion to impeach President Yoon fails due to insufficient vote opposition says will try again

Impeach Motion Against Yoon Suk Yeol: South Korea is going through serious political turmoil these days. President Yun Suk Yeol’s attempt to impose martial law, the subsequent protests, and the opposition’s move to impeach him are all affecting South Korea’s democratic process and government stability.

The opposition brought a motion to impeach President Yun Suk Yeol, which failed to pass due to low votes on Saturday (December 07, 2024). However, the resolution could not meet the required quorum due to ruling party members boycotting the vote. National Assembly Speaker Woo Won-shik declared the impeachment motion invalid, saying, “With a total of 195 votes, the number of members voting did not reach the required two-thirds majority of the total members. Therefore, I declare That voting on this matter is not valid.”

impeachment motion
The opposition introduced an impeachment motion against the President, but it could not be passed due to the boycott by MPs of the ruling People’s Power Party (PPP). The Speaker of the National Assembly declared the motion invalid because it could not reach the required quorum. About 149,000 protesters (more than a million according to organizers) took to the streets demanding Yun’s resignation. Despite the cold weather, huge public support was seen in the protests.

President Yoon’s apology
Yoon apologized for his order on television, but refused to resign. His apology failed to pacify the public and the opposition. The President’s approval rating has reached a record low of 13%. The opposition alleged that Yun resorted to martial law to divert attention from scandals related to his family.
Senior military commanders were suspended and the Defense Minister offered to resign. There is a situation of chaos in the army and administration.

On the night of December 3 (Tuesday), President Yoon Suk Yeol suddenly announced martial law in the country. However, martial law remained in the country only for a few hours. Withdrawn after huge public protest. This order created deep resentment among the public and the opposition. Along with the opposition in Parliament, leaders of Yol’s own party also criticized his decision. After this, the opposition parliaments voted and rejected the martial law.