South Korea president Yoon Suk Yeol not impeached

South Korea's president, Yoon Suk Yeol, has not been impeached by the country's National Assembly.

To impeach Yoon, 200 of the National Assembly's 300 lawmakers had to vote in favour of his impeachment.

The opposition, who filed the motion, also needed at least eight votes from the ruling People Power Party (PPP).

However, only three PPP members of the 102 — Ahn Cheol Soo, Kim Yea Ji and Kim Sang Wook — stayed to vote.

The rest of the party had walked out. 

The ballot counting for the impeachment was then cancelled.

A bill to prosecute First Lady Kim Keon Hee also failed with 198 votes — two away from what was required.

The voting began at the National Assembly in Seoul, Korea, at 5pm in Korea (4pm SGT).

The atmosphere was visibly tense, with lawmakers standing and shouting at each other at various points throughout the impeachment over the course of four hours.

The National Assembly's Speaker, Woo Won Shik, had also repeatedly called on PPP's members to return and cast their vote, citing it as a means of protecting democracy. 

"With a total of 195 votes, the number of members who voted did not reach the required two-thirds majority of the total members," announced Woo, reported CNA.  

"Therefore, I declare that the vote on this matter is not valid." 

Opposition leaders have said if the impeachment motion fails they plan to revisit it again on Wednesday.

According to Yonhap, police also estimated that around 149,000 people had gathered outside the national assembly as of 5:30pm (6:30 pm SGT), though organizers claim the turnout has crossed a million. 

The impeachment process

Yoon's party, the ruling People Power Party, was divided on the issue, with some party members staying resolute in his leadership and others, like party head Han Dong Hoon, stating that Yoon had to resign to protect the constitution.

For Yoon to be impeached, eight party members had to vote for it as the opposition only holds 192 seats.

"As the ruling party, we feel deeply apologetic to the public for today's disastrous situation," said the leader of the ruling party, Han Dong Hoon, reported Yonhap. 

"Yoon should directly explain the disastrous situation and hold those responsible strictly accountable," added Han. 

Citing Korean news broadcaster MBC, BBC reported that most of the party's supreme council members have agreed that Yoon should leave the party to "protect the spirit of the Constitution".

Others involved in implementing the martial law have resigned

In addition to Yoon, one of the key members involved in the shock martial law declaration on Dec. 3 is South Korea's defence minister, Kim Yong Hyun.

Kim has since resigned.

Similarly, many of Yoon's senior aides resigned.

Background

President Yoon Suk Yeol declared "emergency martial law" on Dec. 3, 2024 in a surprise televised briefing.

Yoon had said that it was intended to protect the country from North Korean communist forces, and to eliminate anti-state elements, reported the BBC.

It was the first time martial law had been declared since 1980.

The law was in effect for a total of six hours before Yoon lifted it early on Dec. 4, following the National Assembly's unanimous vote of all 190 of 300 assembly members present.

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Top image from MBC News/Youtube and Yonhap