2024 impeachment motion against Yoon Suk Yeol
On 4 December 2024, six opposition parties submitted a bill to the National Assembly to impeach South Korean president Yoon Suk Yeol after his declaration of martial law the previous day. The National Assembly will vote on it on 7 December.
| 2024 impeachment motion against Yoon Suk Yeol | |
|---|---|
| Accused | Yoon Suk Yeol (President of South Korea) |
| Date | 4 December 2024 to present |
| Outcome | Pending |
| Cause | 2024 South Korean martial law |
Background
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Impeachment procedure
editThe procedure for impeachment is set out in the 10th Constitution of South Korea in 1987. Article 65, Clause 1, specifies that the National Assembly may impeach the President, Prime Minister, or other state officials if they violate the Constitution or other laws while performing official duties.[1][better source needed]
For an impeachment motion to pass, a two-thirds majority of the National Assembly—200 out of 300 members—must vote in favor.[2] Once passed, the individual is immediately suspended from their duties pending a ruling by the Constitutional Court of Korea. The scope of impeachment is limited to removal from public office, with no further penalties imposed through this process.[3]
By the Constitutional Court Act passed in 1988, the Constitutional Court must make a final decision within 180 days after it receives any case for adjudication, including impeachment cases. If the respondent has already left office before the pronouncement of the decision, the case is dismissed.[3] Six of the nine justices must vote to remove the president; due to three vacancies, all six justices would have to vote to remove him, although it is unclear if the court would hear the case with vacancies.[2]
Only one president, Park Geun-hye, has been removed from office through impeachment, in 2017. Roh Moo-hyun was impeached in 2004, but the Constitutional Court ruled against his removal, allowing him to remain in office.[4][5][6]
If the National Assembly votes to impeach President Yoon, he would be immediately suspended from his duties, with Prime Minister Han Duck-soo assuming those duties as acting president. Should Yoon resign or be removed by the Constitutional Court, an early presidential election would be held within the next 60 days therefore around early 2025. The prime minister would continue as acting president until the election.[2]
Martial law declaration
editOn 3 December, Yoon declared martial law in South Korea, stating that martial law was necessary to defend South Korea from anti-state forces. Military and police forces attempted to prevent legislators from entering the Korea National Assembly Proceeding Hall, causing clashes between the police and military, protesters, and congressional aides. All 190 members of congress who were present in the chamber unanimously voted to lift martial law, causing Yoon to rescind martial law around 04:00 KST on 4 December.[5]
Motion
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All six opposition parties – the Democratic Party, Rebuilding Korea Party, New Reform Party, Progressive Party, Basic Income Party, and Social Democratic Party – submitted the bill to impeach Yoon during a plenary session of the National Assembly on 4 December. The vote was set for 7 December.[7]
Following an emergency meeting of the People Power Party (PPP), its leader, Han Dong-hoon, initially announced the party's unanimous opposition to the impeachment efforts.[8][9][10] However, on 6 December, Han revealed that the PPP had recieved evidence indicating that Yoon had ordered Yeo In-hyung, the defense counterintelligence commander, to arrest key politicians, including Han himself,[11] on "anti-state charges" during martial law and detain them in Gwacheon, prompting Han to call on Yoon to "suspend his duties soon" and warning that citizens could be in "great danger" if Yoon remained in office.[12][13][14]
Assuming all opposition parties vote in favor of the motion, only 8 more PPP members would be required to reach the threshold needed to send the case to the Supreme Court for adjudication, which is less than the number that had voted to lift the martial law declaration. It is worth mentioning that prior to the PPP's leadership publicly announcing its opposition to the continuation of Yoon presidency, all 18 representatives aligned with PPP that were able to attend the National Assembly session have voted against Yoon's imposition of martial law.[15]
Opinion polling
editOpinion polling carried out by Realmeter on 4 December 2024 found that 73.4% of respondents supported Yoon's impeachment while 24% opposed it. It also found that 70% believed that Yoon's actions constituted treason while 25% believed otherwise.[16]
References
edit- ^ Article 65, Clause 1 of the Constitution of South Korea (1987)
- ^ a b c Rashid, Raphael (5 December 2024). "How South Korea's impeachment process works after Yoon Suk Yeol's martial law bid". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 6 December 2024.
- ^ a b Butts, Dylan (4 December 2024). "South Korean President Yoon faces impeachment: How did we get here?". CNBC. Retrieved 5 December 2024.
- ^ Jin, Hyunjoo; Lee, Joyce (4 December 2024). "South Korean president faces impeachment calls after martial law debacle". Reuters.
- ^ a b "How a presidential impeachment works in South Korea as Yoon faces backlash". Reuters. 4 December 2024.
- ^ "South Korea's opposition parties move to impeach president over sudden declaration of martial law". Associated Press. 4 December 2024. Retrieved 4 December 2024.
- ^ Lee, Wonju (4 December 2024). "(LEAD) Main opposition seeks vote on Yoon impeachment motion Saturday". Yonhap News Agency.
- ^ "South Korea's ruling party to fight Yoon impeachment as president clings to power". France 24. 5 December 2024. Retrieved 6 December 2024.
- ^ "South Korean ruling party to oppose Yoon impeachment after martial law debacle". Reuters. 4 December 2024.
- ^ "S. Korea's Ruling People Power Party Chief Asks President To Leave Party". Barron's. Agence France-Presse. 4 December 2024.
- ^ "South Korea: President Yoon's arrest list included own party leader". www.bbc.com. Retrieved 6 December 2024.
- ^ "Head of South Korean President's Party Calls for His Impeachment". New York Times. 5 December 2024.
- ^ "PPP leader calls for Yoon's 'immediate suspension from duty'". Korea JoongAng Daily. 6 December 2024. Retrieved 6 December 2024.
- ^ "South Korea's leading parties hold meetings to decide Yoon's fate". BBC News. Retrieved 6 December 2024.
- ^ Kim, Hyung Jin; Kim, Tong Hyung (4 December 2024). "South Korea's opposition parties move to impeach president over sudden declaration of martial law". AP News. Retrieved 6 December 2024.
The 190-0 vote that rejected martial law included the votes of 18 lawmakers from the PPP, according to National Assembly officials.
- ^ Kim, Eun-jung (5 December 2024). "Seven out of 10 support Yoon's impeachment over martial law declaration: poll". Yonhap News Agency. Retrieved 5 December 2024.