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South Korean President Yoon Seok-yeol was impeached by the National Assembly after his attempt to impose martial law failed last week.
The opposition party, which holds a majority in the legislature, only needs the support of eight of the 108 members of the president’s People’s Power party to achieve the required two-thirds majority. The motion passed by a margin of 204 to 85.
Mr Yoon survived an impeachment motion on Saturday after conservative People’s Party lawmakers boycotted the vote. But on Thursday, the mood in the party began to turn against him after he gave a speech in which he lashed out at his critics and vowed to “fight to the end.”
While the People’s Party’s official position is against Yoon Eun-hye’s impeachment, leader Han Dong-hoon announced on Thursday that members should vote “according to their own beliefs and conscience” in a secret ballot on Saturday.
Yoon’s impeachment still must be approved by South Korea’s Constitutional Court, which should rule within 180 days of the parliamentary vote, but this time limit is non-binding.
At the same time, Yoon will be suspended from office and constitutional powers will be temporarily transferred to Prime Minister Han Deok-soo, a professional technical expert appointed by Yoon.
The last president to be successfully impeached was conservative Park Geun-hye, who was ousted in 2017 after a bribery and influence scandal sparked massive street demonstrations.
This is a development story
