South Korean president faces impeachment after martial law debacle

South Korean lawmakers submitted a bill on Wednesday to impeach President Yoon Suk Yeol after he declared martial law in the country, a major U.S. ally, before rescinding the decision hours later after a chaotic standoff between parliament and the army.

Parliament rejected Yoon's surprise declaration of martial law, which attempted to ban political activity and censor the media in Asia's fourth largest economy, as armed troops forced their way into the National Assembly building in Seoul.

Six South Korean opposition parties later submitted a bill in parliament to impeach Yoon, who had already faced accusations of heavy-handed leadership from his opponents and from within his own party, with voting set for Friday or Saturday.

 

A plenary session to formally introduce the bill was scheduled to begin shortly after midnight (1500 GMT) on Wednesday.

 

"We couldn't ignore the illegal martial law," DP lawmaker Kim Yong-min told reporters. "We can no longer let democracy collapse."

Civic and labour groups held a candlelight vigil in downtown Seoul on Wednesday evening, calling for Yoon's resignation- a reminder of the massive candlelight protests that led to the impeachment of former President Park Geun-hye in 2017. They then began marching towards the presidential office.

 

The leader of Yoon's ruling People Power Party called for Defence Minister Kim Yong-hyun to be fired and the entire cabinet to resign. Kim has offered to resign, the defence ministry said.

 

Yoon told the nation in a television speech late on Tuesday that martial law was needed to defend the country from pro-North Korean anti-state forces, and protect the free constitutional order, although he cited no specific threats.

 

Troops tried to seize control of the parliament building, but stood back when parliamentary aides sprayed them with fire extinguishers, while protesters scuffled with police outside.

 

Within hours of the declaration, South Korea's parliament, with 190 of its 300 members present, unanimously passed a motion for martial law be lifted, with 18 members of Yoon's party present.

 

The president then rescinded the declaration of martial law, around six hours after its proclamation.

Protesters outside the National Assembly shouted and clapped. "We won!" they chanted, and one demonstrator banged on a drum.

 

"There are opinions that it was too much to go to emergency martial law, and that we did not follow the procedures for emergency martial law, but it was done strictly within the constitutional framework," a South Korean presidential official told Reuters by telephone.

 

There has been no reaction yet from North Korea to the drama in the South. Yoon was embraced by leaders in the West as a partner in the U.S.-led effort to unify democracies against growing authoritarianism in China, Russia and elsewhere.

 

But he caused unease among South Koreans by branding his critics as "communist totalitarian and anti-state forces" as his approval ratings slipped. In November, he denied wrongdoing in response to influence-peddling allegations against him and his wife and he has taken a hard line against labour unions.