Skip next section Protests rage in Seoul ahead of impeachment vote
12/14/2024December 14, 2024
Protests rage in Seoul ahead of impeachment vote
Thousands of people gathered in South Korea’s capital and demonstrated hours ahead of an impeachment vote against President Yoon Suk Yeol.
The protests demanding Yoon’s removal began around midday outside the National Assembly.
A Seoul police official told the AFP news agency that they expected at least 200,000 people to demonstrate in support of removing him.
“If Yoon isn’t impeached today, I’ll return next week,” one protester told AFP.
However, Seoul also saw people gathering in support of Yoon. Near Gwanghwamun Square, thousands rallied in support of Yoon, singing patriotic songs and waving South Korean and American flags.
“Yoon had no choice but to declare martial law. I approve of every decision he has made as president,” a pro-Yoon demonstrator told AFP.
https://p.dw.com/p/4o8jn
Skip next section South Korean lawmakers to vote on Yoon’s impeachment, again
12/14/2024December 14, 2024
South Korean lawmakers to vote on Yoon’s impeachment, again
The second attempt to impeach President Yoon Suk Yeol comes after for the martial law debacle failed.
Two hundred votes are needed for the impeachment to pass, which would require members of the opposition to convince eight members of Yoon’s conservative People Power Party (PPP) to vote for his removal.
If is passed by the National Assembly, which will vote at 4:00 pm (0700 GMT) on Saturday, Yoon will need to vacate the office while South Korea’s Constitutional Court would deliberate.
In the meantime, Prime Minister Han Duck-soo would step in as the interim president.
The court would then decide on Yoon’s future within 180 days. If it decides in favor of his removal, then Yoon would become the second president in South Korean history to be successfully impeached.
However, notably, there has been a precedent when the court blocked an impeachment vote. In 2004, then-president Roh Moo-hyun was removed by the parliament but the Constitutional Court did not back his removal.
The court currently only has six judges which means their decision must be unanimous.
mf/zc (AFP, Reuters, AP)
https://p.dw.com/p/4o8hw
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