South Korea’s parliament voted today to reject a motion to impeach President Yoon Suk-yeol, following his failed attempt to declare a state of emergency earlier this week.
The impeachment motion to remove him from office was filed by six opposition parties, including the main Democratic Party, but failed because it did not reach the minimum quorum of 200 lawmakers.
To pass, the impeachment motion needed the support of at least eight lawmakers from Yoon’s People Power Party (PPP) to reach the minimum 200-vote threshold in the 300-seat parliament. In the end, it received only three votes.
Without the required quorum, the impeachment motion was rejected.
Currently, the opposition parties enjoy the support of 192 lawmakers, including the speaker of the assembly. However, of the 190 lawmakers who rejected Yoon’s emergency decree during an emergency session of parliament on Tuesday, 18 were from his PPP.
Lawmakers from the ruling PPP party left the parliament chamber ahead of the vote today. Speaker Woo Won-shik urged lawmakers to return to the session and cast their votes, but they were unsuccessful.
Yoon, 63, apologized to the nation on Saturday for a failed attempt earlier this week to declare a state of emergency and said he would not try to do so again.
Yoon was elected to a five-year term in 2022. He declared the state of emergency late Tuesday, but it was lifted within six hours.
A large crowd of South Koreans gathered outside parliament on Saturday ahead of the vote to remove Yoon.
Civic and labor groups, as well as students, held a series of rallies in various areas of the capital Seoul near the parliament building, KBS television reported.
Police detained one person who attempted to set himself on fire, AA writes.
E.Dz.
