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Yahoo! News: South Korean president clings to power after martial law U-turn [View all]
Yahoo! News - South Korean president clings to power after martial law U-turn
Hailey Jo and Kang Jin-kyu
Thu, December 5, 2024 at 1:04 AM EST
South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol was still clinging to power Thursday, with his party announcing they will oppose an impeachment motion after his short-lived imposition of martial law stunned the world.
Yoon suspended civilian rule late Tuesday and deployed troops and helicopters to parliament only for lawmakers to vote down the measure and force him into a U-turn in a night of protests and drama.
Seoul's allies were alarmed -- Washington said it found out via television -- and the opposition quickly filed an impeachment motion saying Yoon "gravely violated the constitution and the law". A vote is set for Saturday at around 7:00 pm (1000 GMT).
South Korean police also announced Thursday they were investigating Yoon for "insurrection" -- a crime that transcends presidential immunity and can carry the death penalty -- after the opposition filed a complaint against him and other key figures involved.
The opposition holds a large majority in the 300-member legislature and require only a handful of defections from Yoon's People Power Party (PPP) to secure the two-thirds majority needed for impeachment.
But on Thursday, PPP leader Han Dong-hoon said that while he had demanded Yoon leave the party over his "unconstitutional martial law", he would block the impeachment motion.
/snip
Hailey Jo and Kang Jin-kyu
Thu, December 5, 2024 at 1:04 AM EST
South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol was still clinging to power Thursday, with his party announcing they will oppose an impeachment motion after his short-lived imposition of martial law stunned the world.
Yoon suspended civilian rule late Tuesday and deployed troops and helicopters to parliament only for lawmakers to vote down the measure and force him into a U-turn in a night of protests and drama.
Seoul's allies were alarmed -- Washington said it found out via television -- and the opposition quickly filed an impeachment motion saying Yoon "gravely violated the constitution and the law". A vote is set for Saturday at around 7:00 pm (1000 GMT).
South Korean police also announced Thursday they were investigating Yoon for "insurrection" -- a crime that transcends presidential immunity and can carry the death penalty -- after the opposition filed a complaint against him and other key figures involved.
The opposition holds a large majority in the 300-member legislature and require only a handful of defections from Yoon's People Power Party (PPP) to secure the two-thirds majority needed for impeachment.
But on Thursday, PPP leader Han Dong-hoon said that while he had demanded Yoon leave the party over his "unconstitutional martial law", he would block the impeachment motion.
/snip