In an unprecedented move, South Korean lawmakers voted on Saturday to impeach President Yoon Suk Yeol following his controversial attempt to impose martial law last week. Out of 300 members of the National Assembly, 204 voted in favor of impeachment on allegations of insurrection, with 85 opposing the motion. Three lawmakers abstained, and eight votes were nullified.
The impeachment vote marks the second attempt to remove President Yoon within weeks, reflecting escalating political turmoil in the country. If upheld by the Constitutional Court, Yoon’s removal from office would make him the first South Korean president in over a decade to be impeached. His authority is now suspended pending a court review, with Prime Minister Han Duck-soo temporarily assuming presidential duties.
The impeachment comes amid mounting public disapproval and ongoing protests, as critics accuse Yoon of overstepping constitutional boundaries in his brief martial law declaration on December 3. Although Yoon has defended his actions as necessary for national stability, opposition parties and segments of his own People Power Party have criticized the move as an abuse of power.
