( MSN )
South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol eluded impeachment on Saturday, as allied lawmakers walked out before a vote and stalled efforts to punish him for declaring martial law earlier this week.
Impeachment required a two-thirds majority in South Korea’s 300-seat legislature, but fewer than 200 lawmakers voted in favor of the motion, which was presented by the opposition earlier this week. The measure, if successful, would have stripped the conservative Yoon of his presidential powers immediately. Opposition lawmakers vowed to try a second time on the following Saturday—and pledged to call a motion weekly until they win.
Lawmakers had gathered to vote on two matters: a bill on establishing a special prosecutorial investigation into Yoon’s wife, followed by the impeachment motion. After taking the first vote, lawmakers from Yoon’s ruling People Power Party began shuffling toward the exits.
“Traitors!” one lawmaker shouted. Another urged, “Go back!” Several opposition party members started blocking the doors at the National Assembly’s main hall.
This was the unicameral legislature’s vote to punish the conservative Yoon for declaring martial order days earlier—a stunning choice that the South Korean leader later admitted had been made out of desperation. The walkout left too few votes left in the room. The opposition, with 192 votes, needed eight from Yoon’s party to pass. Without enough votes, the motion was deemed invalid.
The unsuccessful attempt to impeach the president is likely to extend the political turmoil roiling South Korea. The head of Yoon’s party, Han Dong-hoon, had said the president was a risk to the country and unable to perform his duties. He demanded a suspension of powers for the South Korean leader. “An early resignation is unavoidable,” Han said.
Yoon’s fellow conservatives could be buying more time to devise a way for the president to step aside, since an impeachment would kick-start a process that could lead to a snap election by as early as next spring, said Park Sang-byeong, a political commentator based in Seoul. Given the unpopularity of both Yoon and the party, the opposition Democratic Party would be well-positioned to win the country’s presidency.
“The conservative party may have arrived at the collective conclusion that now is not the best time,” Park said.
The front-runner in a snap election is Lee Jae-myung, the opposition party leader, according to a Gallup Korea poll released Friday. Lee lost the 2022 election to Yoon by a narrow margin.
After the vote’s dismissal, Lee called the conservatives the “criminal party” and vowed to keep trying to impeach Yoon. “We will definitely normalize this country and return it to you as a Christmas gift,” Lee said to applause inside the National Assembly’s central lobby. “We will definitely win.”
South Korea, a close U.S. ally, shed military rule in the late 1980s, and citizens take great pride in their hard-fought transition to democracy. Yoon’s abrupt decision to impose martial law, which would have allowed him to exert control over the media, health services and political realm, shocked the nation, including some senior figures inside his government. It also surprised the Biden administration, which said it hadn’t known of Yoon’s plans in advance.
The political tumult in Seoul has also complicated its relations with Washington and other allies. U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin called off a planned trip to Seoul, with Biden administration officials citing the political upheaval as a reason.
Earlier on Saturday, Yoon apologized for his actions in a brief televised address, vowing to never again declare martial law and promising to work more closely with his party to steady state affairs. He also said he would not seek to escape legal and political responsibility for his decision on Tuesday to impose martial law. During a night of chaos, the country’s legislature had promptly overturned that order.
Blocking the impeachment may be something of a Pyrrhic victory for South Korea’s ruling conservatives and Yoon, who could find himself isolated and viewed with suspicion in the international community, said Karl Friedhoff, a research fellow at the Chicago Council on Global Affairs who focuses on South Korea.
“It is the worst of all outcomes as the People Power Party opts to honor party over country,” Friedhoff said.
A swath of the public wants to see Yoon gone: Nearly three-quarters of South Koreans back impeaching him, according to a recent poll. In a Gallup Korea survey taken after Yoon declared martial law, approval of his job performance sank to a new low of 13%.
The backlash was apparent as tens of thousands of protesters packed the streets in central Seoul near the National Assembly building—the site of some of the most dramatic scenes of the country’s brief stint under martial law where soldiers and lawmakers confronted one another. K-pop tunes thumped in the background, as people sang along swapping in “impeachment” during certain refrains.
Among those standing in the frigid weather was Kim Byung-chun, a 31-year-old teacher, who waved a flag featuring the videogame character Sonic the Hedgehog, who is known for his blazing running speed. “To show off the fastest lifting of martial law in the world,” Kim said, “I made this flag.”
About 5 miles northward, a few thousand protesters gathered at a city square in front of South Korea’s main royal palace during the Joseon dynasty. Horn-heavy tunes from decades ago thundered through the speakers.
Kim Sung-ryong, an 84-year-old farmer from outside Seoul, backs keeping Yoon in power, because he wants to avoid a redo of the 2016 impeachment of Park Geun-hye, a conservative and the country’s first female president. South Korea didn’t benefit at all from Park’s ouster, he believes.
“They impeached her for their political ambitions and votes,” said Kim, referring to the opposition party. “I’m here out of love for my country.”
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