South Korean impeachment vote for President Yoon fails amid party boycott

Seoul: A legislative push to impeach South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol over his brief declaration of martial law fell through on Saturday after most members of his conservative governing party boycotted the vote. The impeachment motion required the support of two-thirds of the National Assembly, or 200 out of 300 members, but only 195 votes were cast, falling short of the necessary threshold. National Assembly Speaker Woo Won-shik declared the motion invalid as it did not meet the required quorum.

The defeat of the motion is expected to intensify public protests demanding Yoon’s removal and deepen political turmoil, with surveys indicating majority support for impeachment among South Koreans. Yoon’s martial law decision had drawn criticism even within his ruling conservative party, but party leaders opposed impeachment, likely out of fear of losing the presidency to liberal factions.

Tensions were high in the National Assembly as opposition lawmakers called out the names of ruling party members who had walked out of the chamber after voting on a separate motion, heightening the frustration during the impeachment debate. Outside the assembly, a large crowd gathered, with police estimating around 149,000 participants by 5:30 pm. However, organizers claimed the turnout was closer to one million.

The impeachment motion was filed after Yoon's brief attempt to impose martial law, which triggered mass protests and plunged South Korea into its worst political crisis. The opposition parties needed at least eight votes from Yoon’s People Power Party (PPP) lawmakers to secure the impeachment, but most PPP members walked out following the vote on a separate motion.

With PTI inputs