Proceedings of South Korean Parliament begin for 2nd impeachment motion against President

The motion will require the support from 200 of the National Assembly’s 300 members to pass, and only then the matter will proceed to the Constitutional Court.  

For the impeachment motion to pass, opposition lawmakers must convince eight parliamentarians from Mr Yoon’s conservative People Power Party (PPP) to defect. Yesterday, seven ruling party lawmakers had pledged to support impeachment.  

However, the local media reported that the ruling party has decided to maintain its official position to vote against the impeachment of President Yoon Suk Yeol.

Meanwhile, thousands of people have already taken to the streets of Seoul today in rival rallies for and against Yoon, hours ahead of the impeachment vote.

If President Yoon is impeached, his powers will be suspended until the Constitutional Court decides whether to reinstate or remove him from office.  

According to media reports, during this time, President Yoon, who is under criminal investigation for alleged treason and has been banned from leaving the country, will be placed on leave until the court delivers its verdict.  

If he is removed by the court, an election to replace him must be held within 60 days. If upheld by the court, Yoon would be the second president in South Korea’s history to be removed from office through impeachment after former President Park Geun-hye in 2017.

The country remains deeply unsettled following the South Korean President’s declaration of martial law on 3rd of this month, which was swiftly overturned by the National Assembly.