South Korea’s leader survives impeachment vote after his power grab

SEOUL, South Korea — South Korean lawmakers’ attempt to impeach President Yoon Suk Yeol ended in failure on Saturday night, prolonging the political upheaval and uncertainty that has roiled the country since his short-lived imposition of martial law this past week.

The failed vote was a reversion to political deadlock in the deeply divided country, despite large-scale protests calling for the president’s removal. It was a contrast to the brief moment early Wednesday when lawmakers across the political spectrum came together to vote swiftly and unanimously against the president’s martial law declaration.

Saturday’s move by the opposition to impeach Yoon was foiled by his conservative People Power Party, which boycotted the vote and prevented the necessary quorum. All but one member of the party walked out of the room before the impeachment motion was put to a vote, making the effort moot even before the first ballot was cast.

The opposition drew out the vote over several hours into the night, urging lawmakers to return to the chamber to participate in the democratic process, in the very building that had been stormed days earlier by hundreds of soldiers acting under martial law orders.

“The South Korean people were watching our decision today. Nations around the world were watching us. It is utterly unfortunate that the vote effectively didn’t occur,” the assembly speaker, Woo Won-shik, said as he called the session to a close.

Earlier Saturday, Yoon bowed before the nation and apologized in a brief televised address, his first public appearance since the move to install martial law. He said that he had taken the step out of desperation, and that he would not try to avoid legal or political responsibility for the martial decree.

But Yoon — who keeps on his desk a plaque given to him by President Joe Biden with the words “The buck stops here” — made no mention of resigning, or of the impending impeachment vote.

As the week wore on, Yoon had appeared increasingly isolated, with members of his party openly criticizing the decision and casting doubt on his political future. The apology appeared to be a last-ditch attempt to avoid impeachment in the National Assembly by putting his fate in his party’s hands.

Ultimately, partisan politics appeared to prevail. The leader of Yoon’s party, Han Dong-hoon, said before the vote that the president could not carry out his duties and should not serve out his term. Even so, he did not specifically mention impeachment, leaving open the possibility of an alternative resolution.

Despite surviving the impeachment attempt, it is unlikely Yoon will be able to carry out any significant government business or represent the country after his failed decree, which was nearly universally condemned.

Lawmakers from the opposition Democratic Party, invigorated by widespread anger toward Yoon, said they would continue their efforts to impeach the president in future sessions. But there were questions, too, about whether their party had scuttled its own effort by moving before it had secured enough political support.

Now, South Korea faces a protracted battle over its leadership at a time of deep geopolitical insecurity. North Korea, with its growing nuclear weapons capability, has greatly intensified its threats against the South. And the change of administrations in the United States, its most important military ally, could complicate cooperation between the countries.

Though his party’s walkout seemed to buy Yoon some time, another threat is looming: South Korean prosecutors said Saturday that they had launched a criminal investigation into the declaration of martial law Tuesday night.

As the Assembly weighed Yoon’s fate Saturday afternoon, huge crowds of protesters filled the eight-lane-wide street outside, demanding his ouster late into the night despite below-freezing temperatures. Buses and vans were left parked across open spaces around the assembly, out of concern that troops might once again attempt to land there by helicopter, as they did this past week when they stormed the legislature.

Images of armed soldiers moving against lawmakers and demonstrators raised painful memories of the traumatic period of the country’s recent history when the military indiscriminately killed civilians and quashed political opposition with force.

The upheaval has brought a wider swath of the South Korean public onto the streets, with younger demonstrators joining with some of the generation who defied the military and helped usher in the country’s democracy four decades ago.

But in a sign of the continuing divisions cleaving the country, a smaller group gathered across town in support of the president. People in that crowd barely mentioned the martial law declaration that started the crisis. Instead, many focused on branding the opposition as communist sympathizers who endangered the country, echoing one of Yoon’s favored lines of attack.

Many protesters calling for Yoon’s removal said they felt compelled by the president’s actions to take to the streets despite never having been to a political gathering.

“There’s been a wake-up call to become more aware,” said An Ye-young, 19, who said this was her first protest. “It’s meaningful that people can express their will in a united way like this.”

And like opposition lawmakers, protesters said they would not let up in voicing their displeasure with the president.

“I plan to come every weekend,” said Subin Park, 29.

This article originally appeared in The New York Times.

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