South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol has been impeached less than two weeks after he declared martial law across the country and deployed the military.
The historic vote at South Korean’s National Assembly was taken by those in favour of impeachment by 294 votes to 85, meaning the president is instantly suspended from his duties and power is given to the country’s Prime Minister Han Duck-soo.
Yoon Suk Yeol made headlines globally when he declared martial law in his country in a shock move that saw army troops move to shut down key buildings and infrastructure before being stood down, reports the Mirror.
Last weekend, he survived a first impeachment vote after most ruling party lawmakers boycotted a floor vote.
Voting against Yoon has since intensified and his approval rating has fallen rapidly.
Tens of thousands of South Koreans have poured onto the streets in the freezing cold Seoul every night for the past two weeks, calling for Yoon’s ousting and arrest.
They yelled slogans, sang, danced and waved K-pop light sticks. Smaller groups of Yoon’s conservative supporters — still in the thousands — have also been rallying in Seoul, denouncing attempts to impeach the president. Both rallies have largely been peaceful.
The President’s approval rating tumbled to a record low of 11% in recent days, down from 13% a week ago.
The poll by Gallup Korea surveyed over 1,000 adults. Three in four of them said they are for the president’s impeachment, up from 73% in last week’s poll.
Negative assessment of Yoon rose to a record high of 85% among respondents, with at least half citing his short-lived martial law attempt as a reason for their assessment.
Hong Gayeong, a 29-year-old protester said on Friday night: “Many people are using idol light sticks even though they are expensive. I think it’s become a really great culture because people are bringing their most precious and brightest possessions to express their will and opinions.”
The martial law imposition, the first of kind in more than four decades in South Korea, lasted only six hours, but has caused massive political uproar, halted diplomatic activities and rattled financial markets. Yoon was forced to lift his decree after parliament unanimously voted to overturn it.
After declaring martial law, Yoon sent hundreds of troops and police officers to the parliament to try to impede its vote on the decree before they withdrew after the parliament rejected it. No major violence occurred.
Opposition parties and many experts accuse Yoon of rebellion, citing a law clause that categorizes as rebellion the staging of a riot against established state authorities to undermine the constitution. They also say that by law a president in South Korea is allowed to declare marital law only during wartime or similar emergencies and has no rights to suspend parliament’s operations even under martial law.
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