South Korean Democratic Forces Seek to Oust President Yoon
Police outside the National Assembly, Dec. 4, 2024. X/ @cnni
December 4, 2024 Hour: 7:40 am
The Korean Confederation of Trade Unions announced its intention to launch an indefinite strike until Yoon steps down.
On Wednesday, political and social pressure against South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol escalated as the opposition filed a parliamentary motion seeking his impeachment. This development follows Yoon’s declaration of martial law earlier in the day, which he revoked just hours later.
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South Korea’s main opposition party, the Democratic Party (DP), alongside five other political groups, submitted the impeachment motion to the National Assembly. If successful, the process could lead to Yoon being suspended from his presidential duties, as his ruling party holds a minority position in the legislature.
The impeachment motion was announced at the National Assembly by representatives of the six parties, comprising 192 lawmakers. They indicated plans to vote on the motion on Friday, December 6, or Saturday, December 7, adhering to the 72-hour timeframe specified by parliamentary rules. Approval requires at least 200 votes from the 300-seat unicameral legislature.
The DP and its allies had already secured 190 votes to revoke martial law and would need only around ten additional votes to suspend the president. Criticism of Yoon’s martial law declaration has even come from within his own People Power Party (PPP). The party’s leader, Han Dong-hoon, called the measure a “mistake,” and some PPP lawmakers voted in favor of repealing it.
Before filing the motion, the Democratic Party demanded Yoon’s resignation, calling the martial law declaration a “clear violation of the Constitution.” During an emergency meeting, DP leaders warned they would proceed with impeachment if Yoon did not step down.
Yoon had announced martial law in a televised address before midnight on Wednesday, citing the need to protect the “constitutional order” from alleged “anti-state” activities, which he attributed to the DP, labeling them “pro-North Korea forces.”
Hours later, the DP, which holds a majority in the National Assembly, along with other opposition parties, passed a motion overturning the martial law declaration, compelling the government to rescind it. The reversal has left Yoon in a precarious position, with no further public appearances or statements since announcing the martial law revocation early Wednesday.
If the impeachment motion passes, Yoon would be stripped of his powers while the Constitutional Court deliberates on whether he violated the Constitution, a process that could take up to 180 days.
Protests and Strikes Against Yoon
By midday Wednesday, most of the thousands of protesters who had gathered outside the National Assembly demanding Yoon’s resignation had dispersed. However, some groups remained near the building, which was under heavy security.
Protesters defied military orders issued under martial law, which had banned all political activities. Meanwhile, around 300 soldiers entered the National Assembly grounds in an unsuccessful attempt to seize the legislative chamber. DP lawmakers and supporters held a separate rally outside Parliament, calling for Yoon’s resignation with chants and signs demanding his impeachment.
Park Chan-dae, leader of the DP’s parliamentary group, accused Yoon of being “out of his mind” and leading an “internal rebellion” for which he must be “investigated” and “impeached.”
He also claimed that troops sent under martial law orders “blocked the entrance to the National Assembly alongside the police and entered the building, committing an act of sedition.”
The Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU), the country’s largest labor group, announced Wednesday its intention to launch an indefinite strike until Yoon steps down.
“We stand united with the people and will lead the fight for the immediate resignation of President Suk-yeol,” a KCTU representative said.
teleSUR/JF Source: Xinhua
