South Korean president dodges impeachment

South Korea’s President Yoon Suk Yeol narrowly evaded impeachment on Saturday after dismissal of a parliament vote to oust him for trying to impose military rule in the country.

South Korean lawmakers from opposition parties submitted a motion to impeach the President on Dec. 5 over his attempt to impose martial law — a suspension of civilian law for military rule — on his own country Dec. 3.

The move sparked mass protest across the country as South Koreans feared the return of military dictatorship, and threw the government into political chaos. Yoon reversed course a mere six hours later.

Members of the ruling party boycotted the impeachment vote, causing dismissal of the motion to impeach Saturday night. For an impeachment to take place, the opposition-led parliament — which holds 300 seats — needs at least eight members from the ruling party to participate, and 200 lawmakers to vote overall.

A member of the conservative People Power Party, Yoon won the South Korean presidential election by a narrow margin in 2022. But his party lost control of the parliament in April this year and has since faced constant political pushback, prompting Yoon’s approval ratings to plummet.

Yoon’s decision to impose martial law was allegedly in response to pro-North Korean and anti-state forces trying to destabilize the country, the president claimed in a television address on Dec. 3.

The move was internationally condemned and is viewed to have tainted South Korea’s reputation as a democracy.

“I am deeply sorry and sincerely apologize to the citizens who must have been greatly shocked,” Yoon said in a brief speech televised on Saturday.