S. Korea’s National Assembly Votes to Impeach President

South Korea’s National Assembly has voted to impeach President Yoon Suk-yeol following his decision to declare martial law.

The motion passed with 204 votes in favor, 85 against, three abstentions, and eight invalid ballots, as announced by the Speaker of the National Assembly.

Yoon becomes the second South Korean president in history to face impeachment, following former President Park Geun-hye in 2017.

The initial impeachment motion against Yoon was rejected last Saturday due to a lack of quorum, after most lawmakers from his ruling People Power Party boycotted the vote, according to Yonhap News Agency.

Leading up to Friday’s vote, seven members of Yoon's own party publicly expressed support for his impeachment.

The motion for impeachment was proposed by the opposition Democratic Party, along with five smaller opposition parties. They argued that Yoon’s declaration of martial law violated the constitution and other laws.

The impeachment proposal was amended to include allegations that martial law forces and police attempted to arrest lawmakers under Yoon’s leadership, further fueling the controversy surrounding his administration.