‘Will step aside’: South Korea’s president Yoon Suk Yeol on being impeached

Hours after the parliament voted to remove him from office, South Korea’s impeached president Yoon Suk Yeol on Saturday said he would “step aside”.

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol speaks at the presidential residence in Seoul, South Korea, Saturday, Dec. 14, 2024.(AP)

Yoon, however, vowed not to give up and said he would do his best for the country until the last minute.

“Though I must now step aside for a while, the journey toward the future… must never come to a stop,” he said in a televised address, according to AFP.

Earlier today, South Korean lawmakers voted to impeach President Yoon following his attempt to impose martial law in the country last week.

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 required 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.

Following his impeachment, Yoon’s presidential powers and duties will be suspended, and the country’s Prime Minister Han Duck-soo will take over as acting president.

Second impeachment attempt

This was the second attempt to impeach Yoon. Last Saturday, Yoon survived an impeachment vote in the National Assembly after most ruling party lawmakers boycotted the floor vote.

Demonstrators react after lawmakers passed a motion to impeach South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol during a protest outside the National Assembly in Seoul, South Korea, on Saturday, Dec. 14, 2024.(Bloomberg)

On Saturday, hundreds of thousands of people gathered near the parliament, roaring in jubilation after the parliament voted to remove President Yoon, reported the Associated Press.

They were seen waving banners and brandishing colourful K-pop glow sticks as a lead activist shouted on stage: “We have preserved the constitutional order!”

National Assembly Speaker Woo Won Shik also said that Yoon’s impeachment was an outcome driven by “the people’s ardent desire for democracy, courage and dedication.”

Yoon’s attempt to impose martial law on December 3 was widely criticized, with opposition parties and experts accusing him of rebellion. The president had cited the need to eradicate domestic political support for North Korea as one of the reasons for his decision.