By Sean Mueck
South Korea’s parliament formally voted to impeach current president Yook Suk Yeol last Saturday, officially bringing an end to the intense political discourse over his shocking decision to order martial law throughout one of Asia’s most prosperous countries.
The extremely controversial decision to order martial law on December 3rd brought weeks of political uncertainty as the country came to a halt. Tens of thousands of protesters took to the streets of Seoul, demanding Yoon resign in one of the largest displays of the year.
Political turmoil reached into the government as well, with Yoon being suspended from office after 12 members of his own ruling party voted in favor of his impeachment. The first impeachment failed, with Yoon stating he would not resign. This subsequently led to a second National Assembly meeting where the order eventually passed 204-85.
The completion of the vote ended with Yoon’s presidential powers being suspended and Prime Minister Han Duck-soo officially taking power of the country late Saturday. Yoon went on to state to the press that he “will stop temporarily for now, but the journey to the future that I’ve walked with the people for the past 2 years should not stop.” U.S. Ambassador to South Korea Philip Goldberg stated that the U.S. supports South Korea’s “democratic and constitutional process here and stands with its people.” Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba stated that “the importance of Japan-South Korea relations is not affected,” but he is still closely monitoring the situation.
The future of South Korea’s current president is shrouded in uncertainty as he now awaits the ruling of the Constitutional Court to decide whether he is removed from office or if his position is reinstated. The court has 180 days to formulate their decision. The first pretrial hearing is set for December 27th.
On top of the impeachment, Yoon also faces an insurrection probe over his ordering of martial law. Prosecutors have currently launched an investigation into potential treasonous intentions to overthrow democracy.
Last Sunday, Yoon was summoned to an interview involving his potential insurrection, but he ignored the summons. Chief of the Corruption Investigation Office for High-Ranking Officials Oh Dong-woon stated that, “If the situation allows, we will attempt to make an emergency arrest or an arrest based on a court warrant.”
The next 180 days will decide how one of Asia’s most important democracies continues forward. In an increasingly polarized world with stronger divides between U.S. and China backed countries, how South Korea conducts itself will be pivotal for relations in the region.
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