South Korean lawmakers voted on Saturday to impeach President Yoon Suk Yeol after his brief declaration of martial law. The decision automatically suspends Yoon from office while the country’s Constitutional Court reviews the case, a process that could take up to 180 days.
Prime Minister Han Duck-soo will assume the role of acting president during this period. If the Constitutional Court upholds the impeachment, Yoon would become only the second president in South Korean history to be removed through impeachment.
The motion passed with 204 votes in favor and 85 against, surpassing the required two-thirds majority of 200 votes in the 300-seat National Assembly. Notably, a dozen members of Yoon’s own conservative People Power Party joined opposition lawmakers in supporting the impeachment.
Loud cheers erupted outside the National Assembly, where pro-impeachment demonstrators had gathered. Many celebrated with free coffee and food stalls set up for participants.
“This is a triumph of democracy and of the South Korean people,” declared Park Chan-dae, the floor leader of the opposition party, after the vote.
Yoon’s presidential powers will be officially suspended once he is served with a copy of the impeachment resolution, as the nation awaits the Constitutional Court’s final ruling.
