South Korea President Yoon Suk Yeol impeached over his martial law order

South Korea’s parliament has voted to impeach President Yoon Suk Yeol. File
| Photo Credit: AFP

South Korea’s parliament has voted to impeach President Yoon Suk Yeol over his short-lived martial law declaration this month.

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The National Assembly passed the motion in a 204-85 vote on Saturday, December 14, 2024.

Mr. Yoon’s Presidential powers and duties will be suspended after the copies of a document on the impeachment are delivered to him and to the Constitutional Court.

The court has up to 180 days to determine whether to dismiss Yoon as president or restore his powers. If he’s thrown out of office, a national election to choose his successor must be held within 60 days.

Won’t give up: Yoon

Impeached South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol said Saturday will “never give up” and called for officials to maintain stability in government functions during what he described as a “temporary” pause of his presidency.

Yoon released the comments through his office after the National Assembly passed a motion to impeach him over his short-lived martial law decree this month that harkened back to an era of authoritarian leaders the country has not seen since the 1980s.

Yoon had previously defended his step as an act of necessary governance and vowed to “fight to the end” in the face of opposition-led efforts to remove him from office. The parliamentary vote suspends his powers while he awaits a decision by the Constitutional Court whether to formally remove him from office.