Motion filed to impeach South Korean president

South Korean president Yoon Suk Yeol faces impeachment proceedings over his short-lived bid to impose martial law, which brought chaos to Seoul and has been condemned as insurrectionary behaviour” by opposition parties.

- ANGUS THOMPSON

Mr Yoon rescinded the declaration shortly after MPs gained access to the country’s parliament in the early hours of yesterday morning to vote against the authoritarian measures despite a stand-off with the military. Armed troops had forced their way into the National Assembly building in Seoul but stood back when parliamentary aides sprayed them with fire extinguishers. MPs rejected the martial law decision while protesters scuffled with police outside.

“We can no longer allow democracy to collapse. The lives and safety of the people must be protected,” said Kim Yong Jin, a member of the main opposition Democratic Party’s central committee.

The Democratic Party also said it wants to charge Mr Yoon with “crimes of rebellion”. It named defence minister Kim Yong Hyun and interior minister Lee Sang Min as “key participants” of the martial law declaration, saying it also wanted them charged alongside Mr Yoon.

Yesterday, Mr Kim tendered his resignation and said he would take full responsibility for the martial law. He apologised to the public for spreading confusion and causing distress, the Defence Ministry said in a statement.

However, crowds again took to the streets in a candlelit vigil last night to call for Mr Yoon's resignation - a reminder of the massive protests that led to the impeachment of former president Park Geun Hye in 2017. In declaring martial law in a shock late-night television address on Tuesday, Mr Yoon vowed to eliminate “anti-state” actors he accused of sympathising with North Korea.

Within hours, South Korea’s parliament, with 190 of its 300 members present, unanimously passed a motion for martial law to be lifted, with 18 members of Yoon’s party present. The president then rescinded the declaration of martial law, around six hours after its proclamation.