Impeached President vows to ‘step aside’ in televised address
South Korea’s impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol said Saturday he would “step aside” after parliament voted to remove him from office and urged an end to “the politics of excess and confrontation.”
“Although I must now step aside for a time, the journey toward the future… must never stop,” he said in a televised address.
major events
day so far
It is 10:30 at night in Seoul. Here are the key developments from the day so far:
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South Korea’s parliament has voted to impeach President Yoon Suk Yeol, nearly two weeks after his short-lived declaration of martial law plunged the country into its worst political crisis in decades.
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Officials said at least 200,000 protesters took to the streets of Seoul in support of impeachment and celebrated after the vote.
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Yoon, who was immediately suspended, called on South Koreans to support the acting president but vowed to continue fighting for his political future as the impeachment process enters its next phase.
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Prime Minister Han Duk-soo, the country’s No. 2 official who has taken over presidential powers, ordered the military to strengthen its security posture to prevent North Korea from launching a miscalculated provocation .
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Amid the turmoil of the impeachment vote, the US Ambassador to the People’s Republic of Korea has said that America’s commitment to peace and security on the peninsula and the region remains steadfast.
Amid chaos, US expresses ‘strong’ commitment to South Korean alliance
Amid the turmoil of the impeachment vote, the US Ambassador to the Republic of Korea has said that America’s commitment to peace and security on the peninsula and the region remains unwavering.
Philip S. Goldberg said he met with Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul on Saturday after the National Assembly vote.
“As always, the United States supports the Republic of Korea and its democratic and constitutional process and stands with its people,” Goldberg said.
“Foreign Minister Cho and I reaffirmed that our alliance is strong and will endure.”
Prime Minister Han Duk-soo, the country’s No. 2 official, who assumed presidential powers later Saturday, ordered the military to strengthen its security posture to prevent North Korea from launching a miscalculated provocation.
According to Han’s office, Han asked the foreign minister to inform other countries that South Korea’s major external policies remain unchanged, and the finance minister to work to minimize potential negative impacts on the economy from the political turmoil. Needed
South Korea’s executive power is concentrated in the President, but if the President becomes incapacitated the Prime Minister leads the country. Han is an experienced official and has previously held top government positions such as trade and finance and was ambassador to the US. He also served as Prime Minister from 2007–2008.
EU calls for ‘quick and orderly solution’ to South Korea crisis
Following Yoon’s impeachment on Saturday, an EU spokesman called for a “quick and orderly solution” to the political crisis in South Korea in line with the country’s constitution.
South Korean lawmakers on Saturday impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol over his failed martial law effort, while the opposition declared it a “victory for the people.” Of the 300 MPs, 204 voted in favor of impeaching the President on charges of rebellion, while 85 voted against.
The vote followed a week of intense political drama in the democratic right following Yoon’s failed attempt to impose martial law on December 3.
Thousands of people took to the streets of the capital Seoul on Saturday in rival rallies for and against Yoon.
Yoon Suk Yeol vowed to ‘step aside’ after the National Assembly voted to remove him from office. The vote came two weeks after his short-lived declaration of martial law, which plunged the country into political crisis. Thousands of people celebrated outside Parliament as the vote was announced:
Analysts have warned that Yoon Suk Yeol’s impeachment is unlikely to end South Korea’s political turmoil.
“This is not even the beginning of the end,” said Professor Leif-Eric Easley of Ewha University in Seoul.
Opposition leader Lee, who narrowly lost to Yun in 2022 and is favored to win the election to replace him, is also in legal jeopardy, pending appeal of the conviction and other decisions that could disqualify him from office.
“So before the final race in the election, there will be a race in the courts,” Easley said.
South Korea’s acting President Han Duk-soo on Saturday vowed to leave no void in state affairs.
In a public address after parliament passed an impeachment motion on President Yoon Suk Yeol, Han said the entire Cabinet would work hard to maintain trust with the United States, Japan and other partners.
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The excited crowd outside the National Assembly has dispersed and everything is being packed up. The streets look remarkably clean. In a typical display of Korean civic-mindedness, protesters cleaned up after themselves, collecting trash and making sure everything was back in its place. The same is true at K-pop concerts, where fans leave the venues spotless. And tonight felt exactly like a concert. K-pop light sticks – a symbol of the movement to impeach Yoon – are now being sold at a discount.
The vote to impeach South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol was a dramatic fall for the conservative leader, who now faces the ignominy of stepping down from office before the end of his five-year term.
But Saturday’s vote in the National Assembly, where the impeachment motion exceeded the required two-thirds majority after 12 members of Yun’s party defected to the opposition, does not mean his presidency is over. Is.
Attention will now turn to South Korea’s constitutional court, which faces unprecedented challenges in handling Yoon’s impeachment. Would it remove Yoon from office or reject impeachment?
Thousands of people celebrated outside parliament as the impeachment was announced, two weeks after President Yoon Suk Yeol’s short-lived declaration of martial law, plunging the country into its worst political crisis in decades. Prime Minister and now acting President, Han Duk-soo, vowed to ‘ensure stable governance’ after the announcement:
South Korea’s alliance with US remains ‘unchanged’ after impeachment
South Korea’s foreign minister said the country’s foreign policy, based on its alliance with the United States, will remain unchanged following the impeachment of President Yoon Suk Yeol on Saturday, the ministry said.
Senior South Korean diplomats met with the ambassadors of the United States, Japan and China to explain the position on Yoon’s impeachment, the ministry said in separate statements.
Lee Jae-myung, leader of the opposition Democratic Party, told protesters near parliament that they should fight together so that Yoon could be removed as soon as possible. “You guys, made it. You are writing a new history,” he told the excited crowd, who came to attend the rally despite freezing temperatures.
Protesters supporting Yun’s impeachment jumped near the parliament at the news and waved colorful LED sticks as music played. On the contrary, a rally of Yun supporters immediately emptied after this news.
Yoon is the second consecutive conservative president to be impeached in South Korea. Park Geun-hye was removed from office in 2017. Yoon escaped the first impeachment vote last weekend when his party largely boycotted the vote, depriving parliament of a quorum.
“Although I am stopping now, the journey into the future that I have taken with people over the last two and a half years should never stop. I will never give up,’ Yoon said.
South Korea’s ruling party leader Han Dong-hoon said he took seriously the result of Saturday’s vote in parliament to impeach President Yoon Suk Yeol.
Despite calls by some party lawmakers to step down amid divisions in the party, Han said he would continue his duties.