All 300 National Assembly Members Present for Vote
85 Opposed, 3 Abstained, 8 Invalid Votes
People Power Party, At Least 12 Votes Defected
The impeachment motion against President Yoon Suk-yeol was passed on the 14th, 11 days after the emergency martial law situation on December 3. President Yoon's duties will be suspended immediately upon delivery of the copy of the impeachment resolution, signed by National Assembly Speaker Woo Won-sik, to the Presidential Office.
On the same day, the National Assembly held a plenary session at 4 p.m. and voted on the impeachment motion against President Yoon Suk-yeol. All 300 members participated in the vote, with 204 in favor, 85 against, 3 abstentions, and 8 invalid votes, resulting in its passage.
Immediately after the passage of the impeachment motion, Speaker Woo stated, "Our National Assembly has passed the impeachment motion against Yoon Suk-yeol. This decision follows the solemn oath to uphold the Constitution as representatives of the people," expressing his gratitude. He added, "From the moment the emergency martial law was declared until this moment, the earnest courage and dedication to democracy shown by the people have led to this situation."
He continued, "Democracy is proven through the lives of the people. Now, let us take one more step forward together to the next stage," and said, "The National Assembly and the government will unite and cooperate to quickly stabilize the livelihoods and daily lives of the people and to prevent domestic and international instability and concerns in all areas including diplomacy and national defense. Government officials must carry out their duties without any wavering."
Furthermore, he said, "I hope the year-end for the people will be a little happier. I urge you to resume the year-end gatherings that were canceled. The local economy, including self-employed and small business owners, is very difficult," and bowed his head, saying, "The future of the Republic of Korea, our hope, lies with the people. Hope is powerful. I thank all the people."
Earlier, during the first vote on the impeachment motion on the 7th, 105 members of the People Power Party were absent, resulting in only 195 members present and the motion being automatically discarded. The People Power Party held a party meeting from 10 a.m. to just before the vote at 4 p.m. on the same day, fiercely debating the impeachment motion against President Yoon. They decided to maintain the party stance of rejecting the impeachment but to participate in the vote. The presidential impeachment vote was conducted by secret ballot, and at least 12 members of the People Power Party cast dissenting votes.
Park Chan-dae, floor leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, explained the proposal for the impeachment motion, saying, "The experience of Gwangju in May 1980 was able to save the democracy of the Republic of Korea in December 2024," and appealed, "The fate of the Republic of Korea depends on the choice of each member of the National Assembly. By supporting the impeachment, please show the world that the democracy of the Republic of Korea is strong."
Speaker Woo is scheduled to sign the original and copy of the impeachment resolution at 5:20 p.m. in his office. Jeong Cheong-rae, chairman of the Legislation and Judiciary Committee of the National Assembly and a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, who receives the original resolution, will immediately submit it to the Constitutional Court. Once the Constitutional Court receives it, the impeachment trial process begins. The copy of the resolution will be delivered directly to the Presidential Office by the director of the National Assembly Secretariat. From the moment the copy is delivered to the Presidential Office, President Yoon's duties will be suspended.
In the case of the impeachment motion against former President Park Geun-hye, which passed the National Assembly and resulted in the suspension of duties on December 9, 2016, then-Speaker Chung Sye-kyun signed the original and copy of the impeachment resolution around 4:10 p.m. The original resolution was submitted to the Constitutional Court by Kwon Seong-dong, then chairman of the Legislation and Judiciary Committee and member of the People Power Party, and the copy was delivered to the Blue House. The exact time when former President Park's duties were suspended was 7:03 p.m. on the same day.
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
