The opposition-controlled National Assembly is set to vote on Saturday on a second impeachment motion against President Yoon Suk-yeol over his botched declaration of martial law, Yonhap reported.
The first motion to impeach Yoon was rejected last Saturday due to a lack of quorum, with nearly all lawmakers from the ruling People’s Power Party (PPP) boycotting the vote. The motion requires a two-thirds majority to pass, which would require the support of at least eight lawmakers from the ruling party. As of Friday, seven PPP lawmakers had publicly expressed their support for Yoon’s impeachment.
The main opposition Democratic Party (DP) and five other minor opposition parties submitted the motion on Thursday and submitted it to the Diet the following day, arguing that Yoon’s declaration of martial law violates the Constitution and other laws.
The petition included allegations that martial law troops and police attempted to arrest lawmakers under the president’s direction. If the petition is accepted, the Constitutional Court will rule on whether to reinstate Yoon or remove him from office. If the court’s decision is upheld, Yoon would become the second president to be impeached, following former President Park Geun-hye in 2017.