South Korea plunged into turmoil as President Yoon faces impeachment after failed martial law imposition

In a dramatic turn of events, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol’s decision to impose martial law has backfired, leading to widespread protests and a motion to impeach him.

The opposition parties, who hold a large majority in the 300-member parliament, filed the impeachment motion on Wednesday, citing Yoon’s “act of imposing martial law without legitimate cause” as a serious crime.

The crisis began on Tuesday night when Yoon declared martial law, citing the threat of North Korea and “anti-state forces.”

However, his move was met with fierce resistance from lawmakers, who defied rifle-carrying soldiers to vote against the move. The National Assembly ultimately voted to lift martial law, forcing Yoon to retract his decision.

“We’ve submitted an impeachment motion prepared urgently,” said Kim Yong-min from the opposition Democratic Party. The opposition needs only a handful of defections from Yoon’s party to secure the two-thirds majority needed to pass the motion.

The impeachment motion is the latest development in a deepening crisis that has plunged South Korea into turmoil. Yoon’s approval rating has dropped to 19%, with voters angry at the state of the economy and controversies involving his wife.

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The international community has also weighed in on the crisis, with the US welcoming Yoon’s decision to reverse his move. “We continue to expect political disagreements to be resolved peacefully and in accordance with the rule of law,” US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said.

China, a key ally of North Korea, urged its nationals in the South to stay calm and exercise caution, while Japan was monitoring the situation with “exceptional and serious concerns”.

As protests continue to rock the country, Yoon’s future hangs in the balance. With the opposition determined to push through with the impeachment motion, it remains to be seen whether Yoon will be able to cling to power.

“This is a surprising last-ditch move by Yoon to grab political power,” Gi-Wook Shin, a sociology professor at Stanford University, told AFP. “This move will only fasten the demise of his political career as it is likely to lead to his impeachment.”

The nation’s largest umbrella labour union called an “indefinite general strike” until Yoon resigns. Even the leader of Yoon’s own ruling party described the attempt as “tragic” while calling for those involved to be held accountable.

In his late-night television announcement, Yoon declared martial law, citing the threat of North Korea and “anti-state forces”. More than 280 troops backed by 24 helicopters arrived at parliament to lock down the site. But 190 lawmakers defied rifle-carrying soldiers to force their way into parliament to vote against the move.

This left Yoon with no choice but to retract his decision and call off the military in another television address at around 4:30 am (1930 GMT Tuesday). Under the constitution, martial law must be lifted when a majority in parliament demands it.

Senior aides working for Yoon offered Wednesday to resign en masse over the martial law declaration. By mid-afternoon, Yoon had yet to reappear publicly.

The U-turn prompted jubilation among flag-waving protesters outside parliament who had braved freezing temperatures to keep vigil through the night in defiance of Yoon’s martial law order.

Lim Myeong-pan, 55, told AFP that Yoon now has to go. “Yoon’s act of imposing it in the first place without legitimate cause is a serious crime in itself,” Lim told AFP. “He has paved his path to impeachment with this.”

With more protests expected through Wednesday, large numbers of police were patrolling key avenues Wednesday afternoon.

Yoon had said that his imposition of martial law was to “safeguard a liberal South Korea from the threats posed by North Korea’s communist forces and to eliminate anti-state elements plundering people’s freedom and happiness.”

Yoon did not elaborate on the North’s threats, but the South remains technically at war with nuclear-armed Pyongyang.

“Our National Assembly has become a haven for criminals, a den of legislative dictatorship that seeks to paralyse the judicial and administrative systems and overturn our liberal democratic order,” Yoon said.

The president labelled the main opposition Democratic Party “anti-state forces intent on overthrowing the regime”.

In recent weeks Yoon and his People Power Party have been bitterly at odds with the opposition over next year’s budget. Opposition MPs last week approved a budget plan through a parliamentary committee that slashed Yoon’s spending plans.

As the impeachment motion moves forward, all eyes are on Yoon’s next move. Will he be able to cling to power, or will he become the latest casualty of South Korea’s tumultuous

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