South Korea's opposition parties on Wednesday submitted a motion to impeach President Yoon Suk-yul, who is facing pressure to leave office hours after ending short-lived martial law that prompted troops to surround Parliament before lawmakers voted to lift it.
Yoon's impeachment requires the support of two-thirds of parliament members and then the support of at least six judges on the Constitutional Court.
The proposal, put forward by the main opposition Democratic Party and five smaller opposition parties, could be put to a vote on Friday.
Yoon's top advisers and secretaries offered to resign en masse, and members of his cabinet, including Defense Minister Kim Young-hyun, also faced calls to step down, as the nation struggled to understand what appeared to be a poorly thought-out stunt.
In the capital, tourists and residents milled about, the sound of traffic and construction work could be heard, and other than the throngs of police carrying shields, it seemed like a normal, sunny, cold December morning.
On Tuesday night, Yoon abruptly imposed martial law, vowing to eliminate “anti-state” forces after struggling to push his agenda forward in the opposition-dominated parliament.
But his martial law was only in effect for six hours, as the National Assembly voted to overturn the president's rule. The announcement was officially made around 4:30 a.m. during the Cabinet meeting.
The opposition Liberal Democratic Party, which has a majority in the 300-seat parliament, said on Wednesday that its lawmakers had decided to ask Yoon to resign immediately or they would take steps to impeach him.
“President Yoon Suk-yul’s declaration of martial law was a clear violation of the Constitution. She did not adhere to any requirements for declaring it,” the Democratic Party said in a statement.
“His declaration of martial law was essentially invalid and a grave violation of the Constitution. It was a dangerous act of rebellion and provides an ideal basis for his impeachment.”
His removal requires the support of two-thirds of parliament, or 200 of its 300 members. The Democratic Party and other small opposition parties together have 192 seats.
But when Parliament rejected Yoon's declaration of martial law by a vote of 190 to zero, 18 lawmakers from Yoon's ruling People Power Party cast votes in support of the rejection, according to National Assembly officials.
People Power Party leader Han Dong-hun, who has long ties with Yoon dating back to their days as prosecutors, criticized Yoon's martial law declaration as “unconstitutional.”
If Yoon is impeached, he will be stripped of his constitutional powers until the Constitutional Court can rule on his fate.
Prime Minister Han Dak-soo, who is the number two position in the South Korean government, will assume his presidential responsibilities.
As calls for Yoon's government to resign mount, Han issued a public message calling for patience and calling on Cabinet members to “fulfill their duties even beyond this moment.”
At least six of the nine Constitutional Court judges need to support the request made by lawmakers to remove Yoon from office.
But the court currently has only six justices after three retired, one short of the minimum required to handle an impeachment case, requiring lawmakers to speed up the process of naming new justices.
Yoon's martial law declaration, the first of its kind in more than 40 years, is similar to previous military-backed South Korean governments when authorities sometimes declared martial law and other decrees that allowed them to deploy combat troops, tanks and armored vehicles on or on the streets. Public places such as schools to prevent anti-government demonstrations.
South Korea had not witnessed such scenes of military intervention since South Korea achieved true democracy in the late 1980s until Tuesday night.
After Yoon's announcement, troops carrying full combat gear, including assault rifles, attempted to push protesters away from the National Assembly while military helicopters flew overhead and landed nearby.
One of the soldiers pointed his rifle at a woman who was among the demonstrators outside the building demanding the end of martial law.
It was not clear how the 190 lawmakers were able to enter the parliamentary hall to vote on rejecting Yoon's martial law decree. Opposition leader Lee Jae-myung live-streamed himself climbing the wall, and while troops and police officers prevented some from entering, they did not restrain others or aggressively use force against others.
No major violence was reported. Troops and police were later seen leaving the National Assembly headquarters after the parliamentary vote on lifting martial law.
“Even with our unfortunate memories of military coups, our citizens have certainly noticed today's events and witnessed the maturity of our military,” National Assembly Speaker Woo Won-shik said.
Han, the leader of the People Power Party, demanded that Yoon explain his decision and fire Defense Minister Kim Young-hyun, who he said recommended Yoon issue a martial law decree. The Ministry of Defense did not comment.
Under South Korea's constitution, the president can declare martial law during “time of war, war-like situations or other similar national emergency” that requires the use of military force to restrict freedom of the press, assembly and other rights to maintain order.
Many observers wonder whether South Korea is currently experiencing such a situation.
The Constitution also stipulates that the President must comply when the National Assembly demands the lifting of martial law by a majority vote.
Some experts say Yoon clearly violated the Constitution in how he imposed martial law. While martial law allows for “special measures” to restrict individual freedoms and the power of bodies and courts, the Constitution does not allow for the functions of Parliament to be restricted.
But following Yoon's announcement on Tuesday, the South Korean military announced the suspension of parliamentary activities and deployed troops to try to prevent lawmakers from entering the National Assembly.
Park Chan-dae, leader of the Democratic Party bloc, called for Yoon to be immediately investigated for rebellion over the way he deployed troops in Parliament. While the president is mostly immune from prosecution while in office, the protection does not extend to alleged rebellion or treason.
In Washington, the White House said that the United States was “deeply concerned” about the events in Seoul.
A National Security Council spokesperson said President Joe Biden's administration was not notified in advance of the declaration of martial law and has been in contact with the South Korean government.
Pentagon spokesman Major General Pat Ryder said there was no impact on more than 27,000 American soldiers stationed in South Korea.
In Seoul, the streets seemed crowded like a normal day on Wednesday.
Tourist Stephen Rowan, from the Australian city of Brisbane, who was touring Gyeongbokgung Palace, said he was not worried at all.
“But again, I don’t understand much about the political situation in Korea,” he said. “But I heard that they are now demanding the resignation of the current president, so… it looks like there will be a lot of demonstrations. … I would have been worried if martial law had remained in place.
Yoon's government and the ruling party have entered into an impasse with the Democratic Party over next year's budget bill and the Democratic Party-led attempt to remove three top prosecutors.
During his televised announcement, Yoon also described the opposition as “shameless pro-North Korea, anti-state forces that are plundering the freedom and happiness of our citizens.” He did not go into details. North Korea had no immediate comments.
Yoon's imposition of martial law was a “dangerous setback for democracy” that followed a “troubling trend of abuses” since he took office in 2022, said Natalia Slavny, a research analyst at the Stimson Center's 38 North website that focuses on Korean affairs.
South Korea “has a strong history of political pluralism and is no stranger to mass protests and quick impeachments,” Slavny said, citing the example of former President Park Geun-hye, who was ousted from office and imprisoned for bribery and other crimes in 2017. She was later pardoned.
