South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol was impeached on Saturday in a second vote by the opposition-led Parliament over his attempt last week to impose martial law.
His decision shocked the nation, fractured his party, and placed his presidency in jeopardy midway through his term.
After being impeached, the South Korean President said in a televised address, “Though I must now step aside for a while, the journey toward the future… must never come to a stop.”
At the same time, Yoon vowed not to give up.
He said he would do his best until the last minute for the country.
Of the 300 lawmakers, 204 voted in favour of impeachment on charges of insurrection, while 85 voted against it.
Three lawmakers abstained, and eight votes were nullified.
The motion which needed a two-thirds majority to pass, accused Yoon of committing insurrection by staging a series of riots and threatening the National Assembly and the public.
Yoon rescinded his December 3 move to impose military rule barely six hours later, after the opposition-controlled parliament defied troops and police to vote against the decree.
But it plunged the country into a Constitutional crisis and triggered widespread calls for him to step down on the grounds that he had broken the law.
Yoon’s conservative People Power Party boycotted the first impeachment vote a week earlier, preventing a quorum.
Since then, PPP leader Han Dong-hoon has urged party members to vote for impeachment this time.
At least seven PPP members have said they would vote to impeach.
The opposition parties need at least eight PPP votes to impeach Yoon, as they control 192 of the 300 seats in the single-chamber parliament.
Ahn Cheol-soo, a PPP lawmaker backing Yoon’s impeachment, said on Saturday that he would vote for impeachment “for the sake of swift stabilization of people’s livelihood, economy and diplomacy”.
The PPP floor leader said on Friday, however, that the party’s stance remained to oppose impeachment.
PPP lawmakers were meeting Saturday morning to decide whether to change that position.
The main opposition Democratic Party said on Saturday Yoon’s “madness” could no longer be tolerated.
“Refusing impeachment is treason against the people,” the party said in a statement, asking more from the ruling party to join the impeachment.
Yoon is separately under criminal investigation for alleged insurrection over the martial law declaration and authorities have banned him from overseas travel.
He has not indicated willingness to resign.
In a speech on Thursday, Yoon vowed that he would “fight to the end”, defending his martial law decree as necessary to overcome political deadlock and protect the country from domestic politicians who he said were undermining democracy.
Yoon, President of Asia’s fourth-largest economy, hopes that political allies will rally to support him, but the fiery remarks appeared to find mixed reception among PPP lawmakers.
A Gallup Korea poll on Friday found two-thirds of supporters of Yoon’s party opposing the impeachment, though three-quarters of all respondents supported it.
Protesters calling for Yoon’s impeachment began gathering near the Parliament on Saturday.
Right-wing rallies in favour of Yoon are due to start at the centre of Seoul early in the afternoon.
Some K-pop celebrities have slammed the President and plan to donate food and drinks for those participating in the rally to demand Yoon’s impeachment.
People have been using delivery apps to pre-order food and coffee for protesters.
Elected in 2022, Yoon was widely welcomed in Washington and other Western capitals for his rhetoric defending global democracy and freedom, but critics said that masked growing problems at home.
He clashed with opposition lawmakers whom he has labelled as “anti-state forces”.
Press freedom organizations have criticised Yoon’s heavy-handed approach to media coverage that he deems negative.
The crisis and ensuing uncertainty have shaken financial markets and threatened to undermine South Korea’s reputation as a stable, democratic success story.
South Korean shares rose for a fourth straight session on Friday on hopes that the political uncertainty would ease after this weekend’s parliamentary impeachment vote.
(With inputs from Reuters)
