South Korea opposition parties move to impeach president over martial law declaration

Opposition parties moved to impeach South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol on Wednesday over his sudden declaration of martial law, which thrust one of the U.S.’s closest allies into peril. 

The motion to impeach was shared during a news conference, with the opposing Democratic Party and five others jointly filing the procedural move. To successfully impeach the president, two-thirds of the Parliament must vote for the measure; therefore, some members of Yoon’s party also will have to back the push.

Lawmakers could vote on the procedure as soon as Friday. A successful impeachment vote would suspend the president, but to be removed from office, the opposition figures will need six of the nine Constitutional Court’s justices on their side. 

The push for impeaching Yoon comes just a day after he declared martial law, suspending all civil assembly and political activities while lambasting the parliament for being a “den for criminals.” 

“It has paralyzed the administrative and legal systems by ramming through [opposition-driven] legislations and is attempting to overthrow our democratic system,” Yoon, the leader of the People Power Party, said. 

Hours later, the president’s effort was blocked by the parliament, with National Assembly Speaker Woo Won-shik vowing to “protect democracy with the people” and ordering the military to back away from the legislative building. 

The declaration of martial law caused protests outside of the legislature. The president’s push also hit the country’s currency. 

The White House National Security Council said Tuesday that the “U.S. was not notified in advance of this announcement.” 

“We are seriously concerned by the developments we are seeing on the ground in the [Republic of Korea],” the council said.

Secretary of State Blinken said Wednesday that the U.S. government is “closely” monitoring the developments in the country and offered support for the U.S. ally. 

“We welcome President Yoon’s statement that he would rescind the order declaring emergency martial law in accordance with the ROK Constitution, after the National Assembly’s unanimous vote to reject the declaration,” Blinken said in a statement. 

“We continue to expect political disagreements to be resolved peacefully and in accordance with the rule of law,” he added. “We reaffirm our support for the people of Korea and the U.S.-ROK alliance based on shared principles of democracy and the rule of law.”

The Associated Press contributed.