South Korea passes impeachment bill on President Yoon Suk Yeol
SEOUL -- The South Korean National Assembly has voted to impeach President Yoon Suk Yeol on Saturday in a divisive vote.
Thousands of people celebrated outside the National Assembly compound as the news was delivered while, across the city, thousands of President Yoon's supporters gathered in the city center to express their anger and rage at the result.
All 300 assembly members cast their votes for the impeachment bill on Saturday as the bill passed with a total of 204 votes for impeachment, 85 against, 3 abstentions and 8 invalid votes.
“I vow to do my best for South Korea until the end,” President Yoon said in a televised speech right after the impeachment bill passed.
The constitutional court now has up to six months to decide whether to reinstate or formally oust him.
The country’s Prime Minister Han Duk-su is to take charge until that time, according to the law.
Meanwhile, the opposition Democratic Party is trying to impeach Prime Minister Han as well for not being able to stop the president from putting the country under emergency martial law, which lasted six hours.
In addition to the impeachment, the Democratic Party is seeking to arrest the president for perpetrating an insurrection.
The police have already arrested the Defense Minister, the chief of the National Police, the head of the Metropolitan Police and the military counterintelligence commander for collaborating in the insurrection.
Insurrection in South Korea is punished by death or life-long prison sentences.
