Seoul: The National Assembly is set to vote on Saturday on an impeachment motion against South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol over his short-lived attempt to impose martial law earlier this week, which left South Korea in political turmoil.
The plenary session for the motion will be held at 5 p.m., yet it remains unclear whether the motion submitted by opposition lawmakers will get the two-thirds majority required to pass, Yonhap news agency reported.
Earlier in the day, Yoon delivered a nationally televised apology for the public anxiety caused by his botched attempt on Tuesday night, while pledging not to make such an attempt again.
The main opposition Democratic Party (DP) and five other minor opposition parties earlier submitted the motion, arguing Yoon’s martial law declaration constituted violations of the Constitution and other laws.
The opposition bloc holds 192 seats out of the National Assembly’s 300 members.
A two-thirds majority is required to pass the motion, which would need support from at least eight lawmakers of the ruling People Power Party (PPP).
The PPP has said it will not change its party policy to oppose the impeachment motion.
Earlier on Saturday, PPP leader Han Dong-hoon said it has become inevitable for Yoon to step down early, adding the President is no longer in a position to perform his duties effectively.
The comments followed Yoon’s national address, where he said he would entrust the matter of his term to the PPP.
Among the PPP lawmakers, Representative Cho Kyoung-tae has expressed his support for Yoon’s impeachment, the first such case for a ruling party lawmaker.
The DP, meanwhile, expressed disappointment over Yoon’s national address, saying the President’s immediate resignation or an early departure through impeachment is necessary.
If the motion is passed, the Constitutional Court will decide whether to reinstate or remove Yoon from office.
If upheld by the court, Yoon would be the second President in South Korea’s history to be removed from office through impeachment after former President Park Geun-hye in 2017.
Parliament will also carry out a revote on a bill calling for a special counsel investigation into First Lady Kim Keon Hee’s corruption and election interference allegations during the plenary session.
The voting will take place right before the impeachment vote.
The bill, vetoed by Yoon for the third time, requires a two-thirds majority to override the veto.
The DP said it will also put forth an impeachment motion for Interior Minister Lee Sang-min, one of Yoon’s closest aides who the the opposition alleges is a key figure behind the botched martial law.
By law, an impeachment motion must be put to a vote between 24 and 72 hours after the motion is reported to a plenary session.
(IANS)
