South Korea’s President survives impeachment bid

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol survived an impeachment motion in the opposition-led parliament on Saturday after members of his party boycotted the vote.

An attempt to impeach President Yoon Suk Yeol of South Korea ended in failure on Saturday, prolonging the political upheaval and uncertainty that has roiled the country since his short imposition of martial law this week.

The opposition’s impeachment effort was foiled by the president’s People Power Party, which said shortly before the assembly session that they had agreed to oppose the bill. To impeach, the assembly needed a two-thirds vote from the 300-member assembly, requiring at least eight defections from Yoon’s party.

All but three of the 108 members of Yoon’s party sat out the vote, which meant the assembly did not have the minimum number of legislators required for the impeachment vote to be valid.

Opposition lawmakers stretched out the session for several hours while they urged members of the ruling party to return to the chamber and support the ouster, but ultimately called off the session around 9:20 p.m.

South Korean National Assembly Speaker Woo Won-shik bangs the gavel to announce that "the voting cannot take place" because the quorum was not reached during a plenary session of the impeachment vote of President Yoon Suk Yeol at the National Assembly in Seoul, South Korea, 7 December, 2024.

Han Dong-hoon, the leader of Yoon’s party, said earlier in the day that it was impossible for the president to carry out his normal duties, and that he would need to leave office before the end of his term. What that looks like, short of impeachment, he did not specify.

During the day, Han held closed-door meetings with Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, who would be in line to take over if Yoon steps down.

On Saturday morning, Yoon apologized to the South Korean people for the extraordinary move he said was enacted out of “desperation.” Even as he bowed his head in remorse, though, he made no mention of resigning or impeachment, saying he would leave it up to his party.

Outside the National Assembly building, tens of thousands of protesters filled the streets, demanding Yoon’s ouster well into the night. Even as temperatures dipped below freezing, the protesters were energetic, with crowds singing along to K-pop songs and wielding neon batons.