Fatshimetrie, the great rise and fall of Yoon Suk Yeol, president of the Republic of South Korea, has resonated through centuries of media history in the country’s political history. South Korea’s parliament voted Saturday to impeach Yoon Suk Yeol, an unprecedented move that followed a move by his own ruling party – the People Power Party – to backfire after he refused to step down following his short-lived attempt to impose martial law.
For the second time in less than a decade, a South Korean leader is facing impeachment proceedings in office, placing Yoon on suspension from his presidential duties until the decision is finally decided by the country’s Constitutional Court.
After the vote, Yoon conceded that he would “temporarily stop for now, but the path to the future that he has been walking with the people for the past two years must not stop.”
“I will not give up,” he said in a statement shared by the country’s presidential office. “With all the support and encouragement I have, I will do my best until the last moment for the country.”
South Korean Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, who will serve as acting president under South Korean law, told reporters he would “put all my strength and effort into ensuring the stable operation of state affairs.”
Democratic Party lawmaker Kang Sun-woo told CNN that “South Korea’s great democracy will survive and be reborn” after the impeachment.
The dramatic move marks the end of a stunning political showdown, after Yoon briefly declared martial law on December 3, sending soldiers into parliament where lawmakers fought off troops to enter the building and reject the decree.
Yoon’s gamble failed spectacularly, mobilizing many in the Asian democracy to support his impeachment.
Opposition parties attempted an impeachment a week ago, but Yoon survived after members of his ruling party boycotted the vote, hoping the president would resign on his own.
Yoon fought back, however, delivering a no-confidence speech Thursday in which he defended his decision to impose martial law, criticized the opposition, said he was trying to save the country and vowed to “fight until the last moment with the people.”
But just before the speech, the leader of Yoon’s party withdrew his support for the president and endorsed impeachment as “the only way … to defend democracy,” urging lawmakers to vote according to their conscience.
Thousands of protesters gathered in Seoul Saturday, braving the cold to demand Yoon resign before the vote, which was won by 204 lawmakers to 85.
Meanwhile, thousands of the president’s supporters gathered in central Seoul, waving American and South Korean flags, chanting slogans and holding signs in support of Yoon.
Yoon, who was immediately suspended from office, is now awaiting a decision from the Constitutional Court, one of the country’s highest courts, on his fate, a process that could take up to six months.
If he is removed, he would become the second South Korean president to be impeached after Park Geun-hye, the country’s first woman president.
Acting President Han Duck-soo is facing his own political problems and is under investigation for his role in the martial law order, adding to the political uncertainty in the coming weeks.
A former prosecutor and conservative supporter, Yoon has endured a difficult two years in office, marked by low approval ratings and political scandals involving his wife and political appointees.
Since taking office in 2022, he has also faced political gridlock with an opposition-dominated parliament, preventing him from moving forward on legislation to cut taxes and ease business regulations, while his main rivals in the Democratic Party have used parliament to oust key cabinet members and block a budget bill.
His administration has cracked down on what he calls “fake news,” with police and prosecutors raiding several media outlets, including MBC and JTBC, as well as journalists’ homes.
In his late speech declaring martial law, Yoon accused the opposition of “anti-state” activities and collusion with North Korea, without providing evidence — a charge his opponents have vehemently denied. He has also cast his move as the only way to break the political deadlock in parliament.
But the move has been met with shock