South Korea: Ruling party backs impeachment of President Yoon

SEOUL: South Korea’s ruling party announced its support for the impeachment of President Yoon Suk Yeol following a series of contentious events surrounding his declaration of  martial law on December 3.

In a televised address, Yoon accused the Democratic Party (DPK), holding the majority in the South Korean National Assembly, of conducting “anti-state activities” and collaborating with the “North Korean communists” to undermine the country.

Read more: South Korea: What do we know about investigations faced by President Yoon?

The conservative South Korean president labelled the alleged actions as “legislative dictatorship”.

Yoon’s martial law order prohibited politics activities, including gatherings of the National Assembly and local legislatures. He also suspended free press.

Reports indicated that he also ordered the arrest of various political opponents, including leaders from both, the DPK and even his own political party, the People Power Party (PPP).

The declaration was widely characterised by politicians and immediately covered by the  media, both domestic and international, as an “attempted self-coup”.

Following Yoon’s announcement, he faced immediate opposition from both, his own patty and the DPK. It also led to widespread protests across the East Asian country.

In an unprecedented move, at around 1:01 am local time on December 4, legislators convened at the National Assembly and unanimously passed a motion to lift the martial law, despite attempts by the Republic of Korea Army Special Warfare Command to obstruct the vote.

By 4:30 am, Yoon and his cabinet were forced to lift the martial law and disband the Martial Law Command.

In the aftermath, the opposition initiated impeachment proceedings against the now-disgraced Yoon. They threatened to continue efforts if he did not resign.

The uproar over the martial law declaration prompted several officials within Yoon’s own administration to resign, including the Defense Minister, Kim Yong-Hyun.

It also led to investigations into Yoon, other officials and military officers for their roles in the decree’s implementation.

On December 7, the South Korean president issued a public apology for his action and stated that he would not declare martial law again.

The ruling party’s recent support for impeachment marks a significant shift in the South Korean political dynamics, which has suffered brutal military dictatorships in past.

Read more: South Korea’s Yoon under pressure to resign as threat of impeachment looms

Party leadership cited the need to restore public trust and uphold democratic principles as key reasons for their decision.

In a further blow to the president’s authority, the South Korean president has been banned from traveling abroad