The lawmakers in South Korea have voted to remove Yoon Suk Yeol from office after his disastrous attempt to impose military law, which sparked widespread demonstrations.
The motion was supported by 204 MPs, including some from Yoon’s People Power Party ( PPP ), but the constitutional court must still ratify it.
Following days of public pressure the PPP had decided to let its lawmakers vote, after an effort to impeach Yoon last week failed when its lawmakers boycotted the hearing.
After the prosecution movement was passed, dozens of anti-Yoon protesters celebrated outside the National Assembly on Saturday night with the audience chanting as fireworks blared behind.
” To the people, we hope your end of year will be a much happier now, and all your cancelled year-end events to get restored”, said National Assembly Speaker Woo Won-shik, as he announced the outcome.
Woo, a part of the major antagonism Democratic Party, said,” Our desire is strong and the future of the Republic of Korea.”
Yoon’s prosecution has received strong public support, according to recent surveys showing that three-quarters of South Koreans wanted to discover him leave.
The legal court then has 180 days to decide whether Yoon should be reinstated or impeached. An vote for the next president may be called within 60 days if it decides to impeach.
Yoon has been suspended while Han Duck-soo, the standing president, has been appointed prime minister, has been appointed.
But, Han and the finance minister Choi Sang-mok, who is next in line for the president, are both involved in an continued police probe over last year’s activities.
Yoon said in a statement following the vote that he is “temporarily stopping my trip,” but that he” did not give up.”
” I will get your criticism, compliment, and support to the spirit and do my best for the country until the finish”, he said.
Some spoke of their desire to see Yoon leave office completely outside the National Assembly, where tens of thousands of protesters gathered throughout the day despite the harsh cold.
Reuters” I’m so glad that the act passed… At the same time, the struggle is not over”, physical doctor Sim Hee-seon told the BBC as she wiped her tears.
” We’ll had to wait for the judge’s judgment for his impeachment to be finalised. We did maintain watching”.
Two girls wearing Rudolf outfits displayed symptoms that read, “[It will only be ] a merry Christmas if Yoon Seok Yul vanishes.
Across area at a pro-Yoon protest in Gwanghwamun Square, it was a different story. After hearing the results of the vote, his followers sat back. Before leaving the scene, some persons yelled incendiously.
The PPP’s help had a bearing on the vote’s success, since the opposition lawmakers who introduced the action only needed eight more to meet them. When the criticism attempted to remove Yoon from office first, they lost by just a few seats as the PPP staged a strike.
The group held a workout meeting on Saturday that started at 10 am and lasted until just before the voting session started as PPP lawmakers struggled to reach a compromise on the party’s position.
In the end, the group consented to participate and allowed their legislators to cast their ballots as per their wishes. At least 12 of them appeared to have crossed the surface. Another 85 voted against prosecution.
Getty ImagesSince Yoon’s short-lived martial law try late next Tuesday, South Korea has experienced chaos and confusion for almost two months.
Yoon had cited risks from “anti-state makes” and North Korea. But it quickly became clear that his decision was spurred by his own private social issues, no external pressures.
After 190 Members rejected the attempt, he later reversed it, with many of them climbing gates and breaking barricades to enter the election room.
He eventually apologised. Finally, on Thursday, he defended his behavior, saying they were done to defend the government’s politics and pledged to “fight on until the close.”
That conversation galvanised persons, and the president’s approval rating tumbled to a record low of 11 %, according to a poll by Gallup Korea.
South Korea, which removed past president Park Geun-hye from power in 2016 through this method, is not unfamiliar territory for the country.
Surprisingly, Yoon- then a counsel- had led the sensor against Park, which eventually resulted in her senate.
Leehyun Choi, Jake Kwon, and Yuna Ku provided further monitoring in Seoul.