Sat Dec 07 14:18:39 UTC 2024: ## South Korean President Survives Impeachment Bid After Ruling Party Boycott
**SEOUL, South Korea** – South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol narrowly escaped impeachment on Saturday following a dramatic week that saw him briefly declare martial law, deploy troops to parliament, and trigger massive public protests. The impeachment motion, brought by opposition parties, failed due to a near-total boycott by President Yoon’s ruling People Power Party (PPP).
President Yoon’s Tuesday night declaration of martial law, suspending civilian rule and sending troops to the National Assembly, shocked both the nation and the international community. However, the decree was swiftly overturned after lawmakers rejected it. While the opposition’s impeachment motion required a two-thirds majority to pass, the PPP’s boycott prevented the necessary quorum, rendering the vote invalid, according to National Assembly speaker Woo Won-shik. Speaker Woo expressed deep regret over the ruling party’s failure to engage in the democratic process.
The PPP justified its boycott by claiming it aimed to prevent further division and chaos, pledging to address the crisis through a more orderly process. This explanation did little to appease the estimated 150,000 (police estimate) to 1 million (organizer estimate) protestors who gathered outside parliament demanding Yoon’s removal. Their frustration was palpable as ruling party lawmakers left the chamber.
Despite the failed impeachment attempt, opposition leader Lee Jae-myung vowed to reintroduce the motion as early as Wednesday. Protesters also pledged to continue demonstrations. The President, in his first public appearance in three days, apologized for the turmoil but shifted responsibility for managing the political fallout to his party. His apology came after an opinion poll revealed his approval rating had plummeted to a record low of 13%.
The incident has sparked widespread condemnation, leaving the president politically weakened, according to Vladimir Tikhonov, professor of Korean Studies at the University of Oslo. He predicts continued large-scale protests until Yoon’s removal from office. Investigations into President Yoon and others for alleged insurrection are already underway.
The attempted power grab, involving the deployment of soldiers to detain key politicians and the sealing of the National Assembly building, has drawn comparisons to South Korea’s autocratic past and caused consternation among its allies, including the United States. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken expressed his expectation that the democratic process would prevail. The episode concluded with a deeply divided nation facing a protracted political crisis.
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