National Assembly Passes Yoon Seok-yeol Impeachment Motion in Plenary Session... 204 Votes in Favor (Comprehensive)

Yoon Seok-yeol "Will Pause Briefly but Not Give Up"
Lee Jae-myung "Congratulations on First Round Victory... Must Achieve Ultimate Victory"
Han Dong-hoon "Impeachment Inevitable... Our Party is a Constitution-Defending Party"

The impeachment motion against President Yoon Seok-yeol was passed on the 14th, 11 days after the emergency martial law situation on December 3rd. 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 Seok-yeol. All 300 members participated in the vote, with 204 in favor, 85 against, 3 abstentions, and 8 invalid votes, resulting in its passage.

Previously, during the first vote on the impeachment motion on the 7th, 105 members of the People Power Party were absent, with only 195 members present, causing the motion to be automatically discarded. On the day of the vote, the People Power Party held a party meeting from 10 a.m. until just before the 4 p.m. vote, engaging in heated debate over President Yoon’s impeachment. They decided to maintain the party stance of rejecting impeachment but to attend the vote. The impeachment vote was conducted by secret ballot, and at least 12 members of the People Power Party cast dissenting votes.

Speaker Woo Won-sik: "The Courage and Devotion of the People Led to Impeachment"

Speaker Woo Won-shik is announcing the passage of the impeachment motion against President Yoon Seok-yeol at the 4th plenary session of the 419th National Assembly (extraordinary session) held at the National Assembly on the 14th. Photo by Kim Hyun-min

Immediately after the impeachment motion was passed, Speaker Woo stated, "Our National Assembly has passed the impeachment motion against Yoon Seok-yeol. This decision follows the solemn oath to uphold the Constitution as representatives of the people," expressing gratitude by saying, "From the moment the emergency martial law was declared until this moment, the earnest courage and devotion of the people toward democracy have led us 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," adding, "The National Assembly and the government will unite and cooperate to quickly stabilize the livelihoods and daily lives of the people and to prevent any increase in domestic and international anxiety and concerns in areas such as diplomacy and national defense. Government officials must carry out their duties without any hesitation," he urged.

Furthermore, he said, "I hope the year-end for the people will be a little happier. I urge you to resume year-end gatherings that were canceled. The local economy, including self-employed and small business owners, is very difficult," bowing his head and saying, "The future of the Republic of Korea, our hope, lies with the people. Hope is powerful. I thank the people."

Constitutional Court: "Swift and Fair Trial"... Yoon: "I Will Never Give Up"

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At 5:20 p.m. on the same day, Speaker Woo signed both the original and the copy of the impeachment resolution in his office. Jeong Cheong-rae, chairman of the National Assembly Legislation and Judiciary Committee and a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, submitted the original resolution to the Constitutional Court at 6:15 p.m.

Moon Hyung-bae, Acting Chief Justice of the Constitutional Court, stated, "We will convene a meeting of the justices at 10 a.m. next Monday (the 16th) to discuss the case schedule," adding, "We will refer the case to the preparatory hearing procedure, appoint two special justices, and form a constitutional research task force (TF). We will conduct a swift and fair trial."

The copy of the resolution will be delivered directly to the Presidential Office by the National Assembly Secretariat’s chief clerk. From the moment the copy is delivered to the Presidential Office, President Yoon’s duties will be suspended.

After the impeachment motion was passed, President Yoon issued a statement saying, "I am pausing for a moment now, but the journey toward the future that I have walked with the people for the past two and a half years must never stop," and "I will never give up."

Lee Jae-myung: "Congratulations on the First Victory... We Must Move Toward the Ultimate Victory"

Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, is expressing his gratitude at a candlelight rally held in front of the National Assembly in Yeouido, Seoul, on the 14th, when the impeachment motion against President Yoon Seok-yeol was passed. Photo by Yonhap News

Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, congratulated the passage of the impeachment motion, saying, "Congratulations on the victory in the first round," but added, "We have only just overcome a small mountain." He urged, "While we briefly celebrate this victory today, they deny a country where the people are the owners and constantly plot to return to a country they control. We must unite to block their counterattack and move forward hand in hand toward the ultimate victory."

Park, the floor leader, also expressed gratitude, saying, "When the emergency martial law was declared on December 3rd, there were people who rushed to the National Assembly to block the entry of martial law troops and protested police control. Despite the bitter cold, there were those who guarded the National Assembly gates overnight and protected the Assembly. Every day, people gathered in front of the National Assembly holding cheering sticks, shouting to protect the constitutional order and democracy. Because of these people, the democracy of the Republic of Korea was able to make another victorious history."

People Power Party: "Apologies to the People"... Han Dong-hoon: "Impeachment Inevitable... Our Party Is a Constitutional Guardian"

Handonghun, the leader of the People Power Party, is attending an emergency members' meeting held at the National Assembly on the 14th. Photo by Kim Hyunmin

Members of the People Power Party bowed their heads and apologized to the people immediately after the impeachment motion against President Yoon Seok-yeol was passed in the National Assembly on the 14th. Cho Kyung-tae, the most senior member of the party (six-term lawmaker), told reporters, "We hoped that the people would feel stable and reassured through President Yoon’s early resignation, but although the suspension of duties by impeachment came late, it has provided reassurance to the people," adding, "Our party must seriously accept the fact that the president reached impeachment and reflect and apologize to the people."

Kim Ki-hyun expressed his regret on Facebook, saying, "Once again, the misfortune of the Republic of Korea has begun," and "With a very heavy heart, I offer my deep apologies to the people and party members."

Party leader Han Dong-hoon said, "We have been trying to resolve this serious illegal martial law situation while minimizing damage to the people. Therefore, we seriously considered an orderly resignation, including early resignation," and pointed out, "Since President Yoon did not keep his promises and the situation was aborted, I believe the impeachment process is inevitable to promptly suspend the president’s duties and quickly restore normalcy."

He added, "It is a difficult matter to decide on the impeachment of a president from our own party. The party members and I feel the same. However, our party is a democratic party and a party that upholds the Constitution. From that perspective, I believe we must fulfill our duty."