South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, facing an impeachment vote in the parliament, issued a public apology this morning, a two-minute address to the nation, after which he stepped off the podium and bowed. He said: “This emergency martial law declaration stemmed from my desperation as the ultimate responsible party for state affairs.” He denied any more attempts at martial law, saying “there will absolutely be no second attempt at a constitutional amendment…. I will entrust my party with methods to stabilize the political situation, including the remainder of my term.… I apologize to the citizens for the concerns I have caused.”
Apparently, that was sufficient to moderate the calls within his own party for his impeachment. Later, the vote on the impeachment of South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol was defeated, as almost all of Yoon’s People’s Power Party 108 members walked out prior to the vote. (The remaining members could not secure the necessary 200 votes, or two-thirds of the 300-member parliament.) Apparently 3 PPP members did attend the impeachment vote.
The opposition, which needs 8 PPP members to vote for impeachment, has pledged to continue to submit impeachment motions. Democratic Party leader Lee Jae-myung stated: “Thus, it’s necessary to mobilize all available methods and capabilities to suspend Yoon at the earliest possible time.” After the vote, he announced: “We will repeatedly float” the impeachment motion. DP floor leader Park Chan-dae said that the next vote would be on Dec. 11.
