Yoon Suk Yeol is still president of South Korea. The million Koreans chanting "Impeachment, impeachment" from outside the National Assembly, transformed into an entrenched camp, were not enough to convince MPs to vote to impeach him. The leader was in a hot seat for having declared martial law on the night of December 3 to 4. A few hours later, lawmakers reversed his decision.
On Saturday, December 7, the impeachment motion was supported by all 192 opposition MPs. But despite calls from the assembly speaker, Woo Won-shik (Democratic Party), the elected members of the ruling People Power Party (PPP) left the chamber and did not take part in the vote – except for three of them. The wait lasted until 9:20 pm, when the voting process was halted. The absence of the PPP members meant that the quorum required to validate the vote – 200 votes cast – could not be reached. The impeachment was therefore automatically rejected. In any case, eight votes were needed to reach the 200 required – ie two-thirds of the assembly – to pass the impeachment.
The opposition is already planning to put a similar motion forward on December 11. Prime Minister Han Duck-soo promised to stabilize the situation. In front of the assembly, when the result was announced, there were tears and whistles. Some shouted their anger. The discontent was all the stronger as, a few hours earlier, MPs had rejected a motion to set up a special commission of inquiry into allegations of corruption and stock manipulation by Korea's hated first lady, Kim Keon-hee.
The vote put an end to three days of intense negotiations to reach the two-thirds majority. The PPP, which has refused any dialogue with the opposition, hesitated for a long time. Initially hostile to impeachment, its president Han Dong-hoon – who would also have been arrested if martial law had been introduced – felt that the president "was no longer able to carry out his duties normally, which makes an early resignation inevitable." After further discussions with the president and prime minister, he eventually opted to reject the motion.
The decision was reportedly influenced by Yoon's apology on the morning of December 7, during a two-minute speech: "The declaration of this martial law was made out of my desperation. But in the course of its implementation, it caused anxiety and inconveniences to the public. I feel very sorry over that and truly apologize to the people who must have been shocked a lot. I will not shirk the legal and political responsibilities associated with this proclamation," declared the president, clearly reading from a text written for him. He also promised that there would never be a second martial law: "Rumors are circulating that a new martial law may be instituted, but let me state clearly: there never will be."
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