EBN- South Korea’s main opposition party on Wednesday filed a motion to impeach President Yoon Suk-yeol , a day after martial law was declared in the country, sparking a night of political chaos.
According to the Washington Post, the opposition Democratic Party’s motion to impeach Yoon is expected to make its way through the National Assembly in the coming days, and is likely to be voted on either Friday or Saturday. The measure requires a two-thirds majority to pass, and then it will be sent to South Korea’s Constitutional Court, which will have to approve the motion.
Lawmakers and members of South Korea’s main opposition party gathered earlier on Wednesday in Seoul to demand Yoon’s resignation. “If President Yoon does not step down immediately, we will immediately start impeachment proceedings in accordance with the will of the people. We will fight to the end with all the people to protect democracy and the constitutional order of the Republic of Korea,” the Democratic Party said in a statement.
Presidential declaration
In his televised address late Tuesday, the South Korean president said the move would be necessary because of the actions of the Democratic Party, a liberal coalition that Yoon has accused of controlling parliament, sympathizing with North Korea and paralyzing the government.
The declaration included a ban on political activities, including rallies and protests. Yoon also called for an end to “spreading fake news” and manipulating public opinion, and all media outlets were supposed to be under state control under the declaration.
The move sparked protests and – just hours after the announcement – the National Assembly voted early Wednesday morning to demand that the president lift the martial law order and a majority of parliament voted to lift the decree, which would then be required to be lifted under the South Korean constitution.
Following the National Assembly vote, Yoon said he had withdrawn troops deployed to enforce martial law and “will lift martial law once the Cabinet has a quorum.” The State Council then convened to vote on whether to formally lift it.
According to the report, Presidential Chief of Staff Chung Jin-suk and nine other senior presidential secretaries announced their resignations, South Korea’s presidential office told reporters on Wednesday morning.
