South Korean Parliament Approves Investigation Into President Yoon

South Korean Parliament, Dec. 10, 2024. X/ @MeetOurWorld

December 10, 2024 Hour: 10:37 am

The investigation also includes other conservative figures such as PM Han and former Defense Minister Kim.

On Tuesday, South Korea’s Parliament approved a special investigation against President Yoon Suk-yeol, who declared martial law a week ago. The decision was made with 210 votes in favor, 63 against, and 14 abstentions.

The investigation will also include Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, former Minister of National Defense Kim Yong-hyun, the Chief of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Park An-su, and the former parliamentary leader of the ruling People Power Party (PPP), Choo Kyung-ho.

Lawmakers from the conservative PPP participated in the vote since the party had not established a clear stance on the investigation initiative and did not impose a party-line vote.

This suggests that the motion planned by the opposition Democratic Party (DP) to demand Yoon’s impeachment, following the failure of a similar motion on Saturday due to a PPP boycott, might receive more support from conservative party lawmakers when it is voted on Friday or Saturday.

Customized light sticks, popular with fans of K-pop, are commonplace among South Korean demonstrators calling for the impeachment of President Yoon Suk Yeol after his failed martial law attempt last week https://t.co/0xxDzwluTK pic.twitter.com/kRAObgVl9y
— Reuters (@Reuters) December 10, 2024

The DP needs the support of eight additional lawmakers for the motion to surpass the required two-thirds majority and succeed. The special prosecution investigation approved today cannot be vetoed by the president, although Yoon may opt to delay the appointment of the investigative team.

Also on Tuesday, the DP, which holds a majority in Parliament, approved a revised 2025 budget valued at approximately US$47 billion through a simple majority vote. This budget represents a reduction of around US$3 billion from the amount originally proposed by the Yoon and includes cuts to the amounts allocated to the Presidential Office, the National Security Office, the Prosecution Service and the police.

This marks the first time in the country’s democratic history that a national budget has been passed without an agreement between the two major parties. The DP seeks to increase pressure on the PPP, which is currently refusing to support Yoon’s impeachment to avoid immediate electoral damage and is instead advocating for the president’s resignation, which could occur in the coming months.