Impeachment of South Korean President; Yoon Suk-yeol Promises to Continue Political Fight

Yoon Suk-yeol, the President of South Korea, announced on Saturday, December 15, after his impeachment in the second parliamentary vote due to attempts to establish martial law, that he would continue to fight for his political future. According to South Korean law, after the impeachment of the President is approved by the parliament, the Constitutional Court must decide on the confirmation of the removal and the holding of early elections within six months. With the successful impeachment in parliament, Han Duck-soo, Yoon's appointed Prime Minister, was elected as the interim President. However, Yoon still retains his position, but his powers have been suspended until the middle of his five-year presidential term. After the parliamentary vote, Han Duck-soo told reporters that he would strive with all his might to create stability in the government. He also called on everyone to be in a 'state of full readiness' against threats from North Korea and to avoid any provocative actions. The recent political crisis in South Korea, which has led to the resignation and arrest of several senior military and security officials, has raised concerns about the country's ability to deal with potential actions from North Korea. This comes as Pyongyang, equipped with nuclear weapons, is arming itself and expanding military relations with Russia. Yoon is the second consecutive conservative president to be impeached in South Korea, following Park Geun-hye, who was removed from office in 2017. Yoon successfully passed the first impeachment vote last week, where his opponents did not reach the necessary quorum. The success of the second impeachment in parliament was welcomed by opposition representatives, and thousands of protesters celebrated around the parliament. Lee Jae-myung, the leader of the opposition Democratic Party, urged protesters near the parliament to continue fighting until Yoon is removed. The impeachment motion occurred as at least 12 members of Yoon's ruling party joined the opposition parties, which hold 192 seats in the 300-member National Assembly. The impeachment motion was approved by 204 votes in favor, against 85 votes opposed, three abstentions, and eight invalid votes. Han Dong-hoon, after his impeachment in parliament, stated that he would not resign and would fight for his political future.