S. Korea's opposition party plans second attempt following failed impeachment against President Yoon
South Korea’s parliament failed to pass the impeachment motion against President Yoon Suk-yeol on Saturday, Xinhua News Agency reported. The motion, submitted by the main opposition Democratic Party and five smaller parties, was scrapped when attendance fell short of the quorum of two-thirds, or 200 of the 300-member Assembly, media reports said.
After the failed motion, the opposition Democratic Party said it would reintroduce the impeachment motion at the emergency National Assembly session scheduled for December 11, and voting is scheduled for December 14, China Central Television reported.
Following the failed impeachment, Han Dong-hoon, leader of the ruling People Power Party, apologized to the public on Saturday night, stating that they would "orderly advance the process of President Yoon’s resignation" and would consult with the main opposition Democratic Party during this process. Han also mentioned that, prior to his resignation, Yoon would "essentially be in a state of non-performance of duties," CCTV reported.
On Saturday, all but three lawmakers of the ruling People Power Party (PPP) boycotted the vote on the impeachment motion against Yoon, allowing him to survive the impeachment over his declaration of martial law earlier this week, which left South Korea in political turmoil, Yonhap News Agency reported.
The impeachment motion was after another voting against the bill to investigate scandals involving Yoon's wife on Saturday. After the first voting, most of the 108 ruling PPP lawmakers left the parliamentary hall to boycott the impeachment. One ruling party lawmaker remained in the hall and two came back after leaving, Xinhua reported.
PPP lawmakers’ walking out of the parliament was to prevent individual defections as the vote was conducted anonymously. By walking out collectively, the party avoids potential embarrassment, a Chinese expert told Phoenix TV during a livestream on Saturday.
The expert said the move was aimed at avoiding another major blow to the ruling party’s credibility, as the PPP had already suffered a significant setback due to previous president Park Geun-hye’s impeachment. If Yoon is impeached again, it would further erode public trust and endanger the party.
Da Zhigang, director of the Institute of Northeast Asian Studies at Heilongjiang Provincial Academy of Social Sciences, believes that another reason behind the PPP’s boycott of the motion is that if Yoon is impeached, there would be no guarantee of a viable successor stepping forward from the party, which means the PPP will have to hand power to the opposition, Da told the Global Times on Saturday.
“Although Yoon is currently facing record-low approval ratings, the PPP has chosen to stabilize the situation first through internal adjustments rather than plunging into chaos,” Da said.
Da added that Yoon may choose to resign at a politically advantageous moment to preserve the party’s interests.
Yoon apologized for his martial law declaration during a televised address to the nation on Saturday morning before the impeachment voting, and the ruling party’s leader stated the president's early resignation is “inevitable,” Xinhua reported.
Yoon stated that he would not evade the legal and political responsibilities linked to the declaration of martial law and vowed such measures would not recur. He said he will let the ruling party decide on his term.
The remarks suggest that the president may delegate future policy decisions to the ruling party, Da said, adding that in terms of diplomatic direction, there are unlikely to be significant shifts and the US-South Korea alliance is unlikely to change.
However, slight adjustments could occur in South Korea-Japan relations. “To address domestic criticism of Yoon’s ‘pro-Japan’ stance, the ruling party may adopt a more cautious approach to align with public sentiment,” Da said.
After the motion's scrapping, Lee Jae-myung, leader of the main opposition Democratic Party, vowed to impeach Yoon at all costs. "We fell short and failed to create the result we wanted," he said at the National Assembly building. "However, we will never give up," according to Yonhap News Agency.
Prime Minister Han Duck-soo said in a statement that he will do everything to "quickly settle the current situation" and ensure the country’s security and people's everyday lives "can be maintained without wavering."