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Assembly vote on Yoon Suk Yeol's impeachment set for 4 p.m. Saturday

By Son Ji-hyoung

Published : Dec. 13, 2024 - 16:39

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South Korea's National Assembly will vote on the opposition-led motion to impeach President Yoon Suk Yeol at 4 p.m. Saturday, it announced Friday. (Yonhap) South Korea's National Assembly will vote on the opposition-led motion to impeach President Yoon Suk Yeol at 4 p.m. Saturday, it announced Friday. (Yonhap)

The National Assembly has rescheduled its vote on the motion to impeach President Yoon Suk Yeol, moving it up by an hour to 4 p.m. on Saturday, according to the office of National Assembly Speaker Rep. Woo Won-shik on Friday.

This came after 190 lawmakers of all six opposition parties and independent lawmaker Rep. Kim Jong-min tabled the impeachment motion to the National Assembly at around 2 p.m. Under South Korean law, a voting session may convene 24 hours after the motion is tabled, and must wrap up within 72 hours.

The opposition-controlled National Assembly has accused the conservative president, who declared martial law on Dec. 3 but was pressed to lift it following a six-hour fiasco, of insurrection.

The motion describes the 63-year-old incumbent president as the mastermind behind the neglect of the separation of power in an apparent breach of the law and the Constitution, as well as the attempt to arrest lawmakers.

On the other hand, contrary to the earlier impeachment motion that failed to reach a quorum on Dec. 7, the renewed motion no longer criticizes Yoon for taking an aggressive stance against North Korea, China and Russia in the name of "values-based diplomacy" while sticking to foreign policies that tilt toward Japan.

The motion was proposed Thursday at 5:30 p.m.

If the impeachment motion gets 200 votes in favor in the 300-member National Assembly, Yoon will be immediately suspended from his role as head of state.

Yoon on Dec. 7 promised to delegate his power to the ruling party and the government in a speech to the nation. The impeachment vote on the same day was scrapped, after only 195 lawmakers participated in the vote largely due to the ruling People Power Party's mass boycott.

However, Yoon said in an address to the nation on Thursday that his declaration of martial law had been justifiable, calling it a "highly political decision by the president." Later that day, he signed 21 bills into law as well as 21 presidential decrees that had earlier gained Cabinet approval, according to the Ministry of Government Legislation, effectively defying his promise from the previous weekend. He also denounced his political opponents for a "catastrophic emergency that paralyzed state affairs."

Rep. Kweon Seong-dong, the newly elected floor leader of the People Power Party, said Friday the party had yet to determine whether to instruct its 108 lawmakers to vote along party lines.

Kweon announced that the party would convene a general meeting of its members on Saturday, ahead of the plenary session vote on the impeachment motion, to gather lawmakers' opinions and finalize its stance.

"Although the party's current position is to oppose impeachment, such decisions are ultimately determined through discussions among lawmakers," Kweon said during a press briefing.

“This is a matter that demands careful consideration of various factors, such as whether now is the appropriate time for impeachment, whether it should wait until the results of investigations by the prosecution and police and whether impeachment would serve to maintain social order or uphold the constitutional system.”

When asked about lawmakers who have already publicly voiced their support for impeachment, Kweon acknowledged the limitations of enforcing party discipline, stating, “Once the party stance is decided, the floor leader can only appeal to lawmakers to adhere to it. There is no way to enforce (the party line)."