Impeaching South Korea’s Yoon ‘fastest way’ to end crisis: opposition chief

Lee Jae-myung urged ruling party lawmakers to back the impeachment, saying ‘history will remember and record your decision’

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A demonstrator wearing a costume depicting South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol walks at a protest in Seoul on December 12. Photo: AFP

Published: 10:20am, 13 Dec 2024Updated: 8:55pm, 13 Dec 2024

South Korean opposition leader Lee Jae-myung said on Friday the best way to restore order in the country is to impeach President Yoon Suk-yeol, a day ahead of a planned parliamentary vote over Yoon’s short-lived imposition of martial law.

At least seven members of the PPP have since declared their intention to support impeachment on Saturday, nearing the eight PPP votes needed to reach the 200 vote threshold alongside the 192 opposition party lawmakers.

Yoon survived the first attempt to impeach him last Saturday when most of his ruling People Power Party (PPP) boycotted the vote.

Opposition parties have introduced another impeachment bill and plan to hold a vote at 4pm (local time) on Saturday.

Yoon’s move to impose military rule on December 3 was rescinded before six hours but it plunged the country into a constitutional crisis and widespread calls for him to step down for breaking the law.

Yoon on Thursday vowed to “fight to the end,” blaming the opposition party for paralysing the government and claiming a North Korean hack into the election commission made his party’s crushing defeat in an April parliamentary election questionable.