South Korea crisis: Vote to impeach president fails after party walkout
President Yoon Suk Yeol of South Korea has narrowly escaped being ousted from office after his party boycotted an impeachment vote, but his party says they will seek his resignation
President Yoon came under intense pressure after he declared martial law on December 3. In the early hours of the following day, Yoon's cabinet rescinded the martial law declaration, but the short-lived military takeover sparked huge protests and prompted the opposition parties to propose the impeachment motion.
A bill to impeach Yoon fell three votes short of the 200 needed to pass on Saturday after almost all members of his conservative People Power Party (PPP) boycotted the motion.
National Assembly speaker Woo Won-shik declared the result as “not valid,” after the number of members “who voted did not reach the required two-thirds majority.”
He said that it was "very regrettable that a vote could not even be held on such a significant national issue.”
President's party seeks his resignation
The PPP, of which the president is a member, however, said it will seek Yoon’s resignation.
It said in a statement that the party blocked the president’s impeachment to avoid "severe division and chaos,” but it would "resolve this crisis in a more orderly and responsible manner.”
Party leader Han Dong-hoon said that the party had "effectively obtained" Yoon's promise to step down.
Until Yoon’s resignation, he said, the president would "be effectively excluded from his duties,” leaving the prime minister and party to manage state affairs.
The parliament’s failure to impeach the president disappointed the huge crowds demonstrating outside parliament on Saturday.
About 150,000 according to police, and one million according to organizers gathered outside parliament, demanding Yoon to stand down.
The opposition Democratic Party said it will propose a new impeachment bill against Yoon on December 11 and put it to a vote on 14 December.
If the country's parliament passes an impeachment bill, a trial would be held by a constitutional court. Two-thirds of that court would have to sustain the majority for him to be removed permanently from office.
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