South Korea’s parliament voted to impeach President Yoon Suk Yeol on Saturday in an extraordinary rebuke that came about after his own ruling party turned on him following his refusal to resign over his short-lived martial law attempt. It is the second time in less than a decade that a South Korean leader has faced impeachment proceedings in office and means Yoon is suspended from exercising his powers until the decision is finally adjudicated by the country’s Constitutional Court. The dramatic decision marks the culmination of a stunning political showdown after Yoon briefly declared martial law on December 3 and sent soldiers to parliament, where lawmakers fought past troops to enter the building and vote down the decree.
Yoon’s gamble backfired spectacularly, galvanizing many in the vibrant Asian democracy to call for his removal. Opposition parties tried impeaching him a week ago – but Yoon survived after members of his ruling People Power Party boycotted the vote, saying they hoped the president would voluntarily resign instead. Yoon then doubled down – giving a defiant speech on Thursday in which he defended his martial law decision, lambasted the opposition, claimed he was trying to save the country and vowed to “fight until the last moment with the people.
” Yet moments before that speech, the leader of Yoon’s party withdrew his support for the president and backed impeachment as the “only way...
to defend democracy”, instructing lawmakers to vote w.