SOUTH KOREA Longest day for Korean conservatives in the National Assembly

The discussion on Yoon’s impeachment trial has been set for tomorrow afternoon Korean time. The opposition only needs 8 votes from the People Power Party for the impeachmentwhich became more likely when news spread that he intended to have other political leaders arrested on the night of the attempted martial law. If approved, the floor would go to the Constitutional Court, where only six of the nine judges are in office (four of whom were appointed by the current president).

Seoul () – The vote in the Korean National Assembly that must decide on the request for impeachment against President Yoon Suk Yeol has been set for tomorrow at 5 p.m., after the failed attempt to proclaim martial law in the country. night of December 3rd. Since the measure was revoked a few hours later, Yoon has not made any official statement again. But in repeated meetings with the leaders of the People Power Party, the ruling party, he has not given any sign of wanting to take a step back and remains convinced that he has not violated the law.

“I have not heard anything that would make us change our position on the request for a quick suspension of his powers,” commented the leader of the People Power Party, Han Dong-hoon, dejected, after meeting again face to face with the president this afternoon. Already this morning – after news broke that on the night of the attempt to impose martial law Yoon had ordered the arrest of all the most important political leaders, including Han himself – the leader of the People Power Party had changed his mind about the opposition to impeachment which I held until yesterday. Even a mediation proposal by Oh Se-hoon, the mayor of Seoul, who had called for a national unity government that would consider a limitation on the powers of the presidency in South Korea fell on deaf ears.

The six opposition parties that tabled the impeachment proposal control 192 of the 300 seats in Seoul’s parliament. To approve the proposal, it is necessary to have a two-thirds majority, and therefore at least 8 votes are needed from the ranks of the People Power Party, which has 108 deputies. The chances of this happening have increased significantly today. What is holding back the ruling party is not so much the defense of Yoon, from whom everyone has already distanced itself, but rather the certain debacle it would face in the event of new presidential elections.

If the National Assembly approves the motion, Yoon will be immediately suspended from office and Prime Minister Han Duck-soo would take over as acting president pending the verdict of the Constitutional Court. However, it must be added that currently the Court is composed of only six judges out of the nine provided for by the Constitution and four were appointed by Yoon himself. Furthermore, to overthrow the president, a two-thirds majority is also required in this case; all six justices, then, should vote in favor, and the outcome is also far from certain.

South Korea has seen two previous cases of presidential impeachment: in 2017, Park Geun-hye was removed from office over corruption allegations at the conclusion of Yoon’s investigation. In 2004, however, Roh Moo-hyun was reinstated because the Court annulled his impeachment.

If Yoon is indeed removed or decides to resign, South Korea would have to call new presidential elections within 60 days. The elections that brought the current president to the head of the country were held on March 9, 2022 and his term would expire in 2027.