A vote to impeach South Korean President Yoon Suk-yol over his attempt to impose martial law was called off Saturday due to a lack of quorum, Yonhap reported.
After all 192 opposition lawmakers and three lawmakers from the ruling People’s Power Party voted in favor of impeachment, the quorum was five votes short.
After the vote failed, the opposition leader vowed to impeach the president “at any cost,” according to media reports.
South Korean President Yoon Suk-yol said Saturday that he “sincerely regrets” causing public concern by declaring martial law earlier this week and vowed not to make such attempts again.
The South Korean president declared martial law on Tuesday evening and lifted it six hours after the National Assembly voted against it.
The YTN television channel website published the text of the president’s address to the nation, in which he accuses the opposition of paralyzing the work of the state by trying to impeach key government figures and officials. According to him, since the start of the new government (elections were held this spring), the National Assembly has threatened to impeach 22 civil servants, including several prosecutors, the interior minister, and the defense minister.
Opposition lawmakers have filed formal charges of rebellion with the National Investigation Agency against the country’s president, former defense minister Kim Yong-hyun, army chief of staff Park Ahn-soo, who was appointed to oversee martial law, interior minister Lee Sang-min, and others. The opposition has launched impeachment proceedings.
South Korean police have launched an investigation into the country’s president in connection with the introduction of martial law in the country after a group of lawmakers made accusations of rebellion.
Yoon was elected in May 2022 for one five-year term.