Lawmakers in South Korea on Saturday failed to carry out their planned impeachment of President Yoon Suk Yeol who earlier in the week declared few hours long martial law which was condemned and resisted by both the President ruling political party, People Power Party, PPP and the opposition Democratic Party, DP, but today, the PPP boycotted the impeachment process with the Party leader saying the president would resign.

The impeachment process failed as many lawmakers refused to vote and the Parliament could not gathered enough votes required to impeach a President in South Korea.

After the impeachment failed, the President political party, PPP said that it could not allow a repeat of the 2016 impeachment of the then President Park Geun-hye, who left office after months of candle-lit protests over an influence-peddling scandal. Her downfall triggered the implosion of the party and a victory by liberals in presidential and general elections, according to Reuters.

“We cannot repeat the tragedy of paralysis of state affairs and suspension of constitutional government through the impeachment of the president,” PPP spokesperson, Shin Dong-uk said. Adding that Yoon had apologised and had vowed to leave his future up to the party.

Thousands of demonstrators holding candles and lights flooded the streets outside parliament on Friday and Saturday nights, demanding Yoon’s impeachment.

At least eight votes were needed from Yoon’s PPP to reach the two-thirds majority needed to impeach the President. But PPP lawmakers departed after casting votes on a separate motion, even when some people shouted and cursed them. Only three lawmakers from Yoon’s party voted in the Impeachment process, according to Reuters.

President Yoon had earlier on Saturday morning  addressed the nation in a televised speech to apologise for the move, and said he would face whatever repercussions there would be, but he did not offer to resign.

Yoon said he would put his fate in the hands of the PPP. “I caused anxiety and inconvenience to the public. I sincerely apologize. I will leave it up to our party to stabilize the political situation in the future, including my term of office”, Yoon said in a televised address.

After the failed impeachment vote, PPP leader, Han Dong-hoon said the party had decided that Yoon would resign. “The declaration of martial law was a clear and serious violation of the law,” Han told reporters. Reuters reported that Han has a history of clashes with Yoon, but, it was unclear if he was speaking for all PPP members. There was no word yet from Yoon on Han’s comments.

“The People Power Party will pursue an orderly departure of the president in order to minimize confusion for the people,” Han said, adding that until Yoon leaves, he would be “effectively excluded from his duties, and the prime minister will consult with the party to manage state affairs”, Han said.

National Assembly Speaker Woo Won-sik appealed for the PPP lawmakers to return to their seats during the impeachment voting process but to no avail. The opposition needed at least eight votes from the PPP but only three of them voted  as at 8pm South Korea local time.

We had reported that Lawmakers in South Korea on Wednesday submitted a bill for the impeachment of President Yoon Suk Yeol for declaring martial law on Tuesday night, invading National Assembly complex with masked Martial law military troops to stop Reps from overturning or overruling the declaration, but, the ruling People Power Party, PPP held an emergency meeting later on Wednesday and resolved to unite and stand as hurdle against the call for Yoon’s impeachment.

Local media reported that the decision to stand as hurdle to the opposition Parties’ lawmakers impeachment notice against Yoon was made at a meeting of the ruling PPP lawmakers, who endorsed the party’s position of opposing President Yoon’s impeachment, according to Seoul-based Yonhap News media.

According to local media, Yoon had earlier met with Prime Minister Han Duck-soo and other PPP leaders on Wednesday to discuss future strategy after opposition parties filed an impeachment motion in response to the brief martial law declaration late Tuesday evening and Wednesday early morning night.

Political observers in South Korea said the the impeachment motion must receive a two-thirds majority in parliament to be approved. The opposition will need eight votes from ruling party lawmakers out of the 300 lawmakers in the National Assembly to pass the bill.

“Yoon’s declaration of martial law is a clear violation of the Constitution,” the Democrats Party wrote in a resolution seeking Yoon’s impeachment, according to the South Korean news agency, Yonhap. “This is a serious act of rebellion and a perfect reason for impeachment”, the Democrats stated.

For the impeachment to take effect, Lawmakers now have 24 to 72 hours to vote on whether to oust the president. Notably, no PPP lawmakers supported the impeachment motion, though the head of the party expressed exasperation with the martial law decree on Tuesday. According to Yonhap, given the current makeup of the Assembly, eight PPP lawmakers would have to defect to give the motion the two-thirds majority it requires to remove Yoon.

Reuters through its Facebook page showed a live broadcast view of South Korea’s Parliament after South Korean lawmakers submitted the bill to impeach President Yoon Suk Yeol.

CNN also identified a woman in a  video that has gone viral as Ahn Gwi-ryeong, a journalist-turned-lawmaker scuffling with an armed solider outside South Korea’s parliament building during the political turmoil on Wednesday early morning night. Ahn is the spokesperson for the main opposition Democratic Party and former anchor on broadcaster YTN.

It would be recalled that Parliament members in South Korea battled soldiers to get inside their building at 1:00am, after the country’s president declared “emergency martial law,” blaming Democratic opponents for bringing his conservative government to a standstill and, without proof, colluding with North Korea. Lawmakers blocked the president’s declaration unanimously with 190 votes to 0, for the Parliament members who were able to force their way into the National Assembly hall mid night.

President Yoon, elected in a bitterly fought election in 2022, declared martial law on television on Tuesday night, a widely unexpected move that shocked the nation and international observers. Yoon argued that legislative obstruction by the opposition Democratic Party had turned the National Assembly into a “den of criminals” and necessitated military action.

“I declare martial law to protect the Republic of Korea from the threats of North Korean communist forces. To immediately eradicate the unscrupulous pro-Pyongyang anti-state forces that pillage the freedom and happiness of our people and to protect free constitutional order”, Yoon stated during the declaration on Tuesday night on National Television.

The Democratic Party-controlled National Assembly rapidly sprung into action, flooding into legislative chambers while blocking heavily armed soldiers who have stated that, under martial law, political assemblies were illegal.

The Democrats have controlled the Assembly since April, when they won regional elections against the conservatives in a landslide.

Protesters had flooded streets, demanding President Yoon Suk Yeol resignation after  a long night of military and civilian show of force in South Korea from 11pm on Tuesday night and almost throughout entire early morning night of Wednesday when 190 lawmakers from opposition political party including 18 from the President political party, jumped fences to convey important and urgent parliamentary meeting after President Yoon Suk Yeol declared martial law in the country and ordered masked martial law  troops with rifles to invade the National Assembly of the forth Asia largest  economy country to stop the lawmakers, but, the soldiers met a stiffer civilian barricades who engaged the soldiers with fire extinguishers at the National Assembly complex and hold them back until the lawmakers successfully held the plenary session and voted to outlaw the President martial law declaration.

Videos posted online showed thousands of South Korean protesters held a candlelight vigil and rally in downtown Seoul streets against President Yoon Suk Yeol, who has been in office since 2022 to resign.

Protesters held up signs that read “Step down President Yoon Suk Yeol” as people and lawmakers attend a rally in Seoul, the South Korea capital, according to Reuters International news agency.

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol had on Tuesday declared martial law, vowing to eradicate “shameless pro-North Korean anti-state forces” and restore order. Martial law was last declared in the country in 1979.

Soon after the declaration, protests broke out in Seoul and thousands gathered at the National Assembly with South Korea’s main opposition party lawmakers and some ruling party lawmakers jumped fences and tussled with security forces so they could vote to overturn the law.

According to Reuters, thousands of demonstrators gathered outside the parliament where there were minor clashes with police and military. Lawmakers gathered to vote against martial law, as both opposition lawmakers and leaders of Yoon’s own party decried it as unconstitutional.

All 190 of the lawmakers present voted to lift martial law, including 18 from Yoon’s own party. Yoon ordered troops to pull back and later lifted the decree after convening a cabinet meeting.

190 of the National Assembly’s 300 members defied police and military cordons to vote against the declaration, forcing Yoon to lift the martial law order.

The move late on Tuesday shocked South Koreans, with Yoon calling in the military which released a decree banning protests and activity by parliament and political parties, and placing media under government control, according to Reuters.

The International news agency added that “the military named Army Chief of Staff, General Park An-su, a four-star general, to head a martial law command and released the decree effective at 11 pm on Tuesday.

Besides banning political activity and restricting the media, the decree also ordered striking doctors back to work.
Those who violate martial law could be arrested without a warrant, it said.

Masked martial law troops equipped with rifles, body armour and night-vision equipment entered the National Assembly where they faced off with staffers who opposed them with fire extinguishers”.

Secretary General of South Korea’s National Assembly, Kim Min-ki condemned the military on Wednesday morning for breaking into the legislature during President Yoon Suk Yeol’s brief imposition of martial law, saying that nearly 300 troops had stormed the compound.

Kim Min-ki said at a news briefing that; “I strongly condemn the illegal, unconstitutional actions of the military and the destruction it caused at the National Assembly premises due to President Yoon’s decree of martial law”.

He vowed to seek legal remedies for the damage caused, and he said the police, who prevented some lawmakers from entering the building overnight, would be barred from the premises.

Kim offered the most detailed official account yet of the military’s incursion, saying, about 230 troops were flown by helicopter onto the assembly grounds, and roughly 50 others jumped fences to gain entry, he said.

Kim played closed-circuit footage of soldiers entering the compound at the news briefing, saying that all such video would soon be made public.

Osazuwa Akonedo

Osazuwa Akonedo is a Nigerian media professional, author, and consultant. His work spans various sectors of communication and literature: Journalism and Media: He is the founder of OsazuwaAkonedo, which focuses on news analysis and commentary. He also provides consultancy services in media and banking. Literature: He is a published playwright and author of Nigerian literature. One of his notable works is the drama titled The End Shall Tell: What Exam Malpractice Can Cause, which addresses educational and social issues in Nigeria. Reporting: He frequently reports on regional news, particularly concerning Edo State and broader Nigerian current affairs. Credit: Google Gemini AI Mode Osazuwa Akonedo is a Nigerian media creator, journalist, and entrepreneur who engages audiences via news reporting, social media content, music, and a mobile application. Professional Background and Company Osazuwa Akonedo is associated with OSAZUWAAKONEDO LIMITED, a company registered in Nigeria that operates in media consultancy and news services  The company is headquartered in Benin City, Edo State, Nigeria, and has been active in publishing news in various formats including text, audio, video, and photos  Social Media and Online Platforms Osazuwa Akonedo maintains a strong online presence on several platforms: TikTok: Shares news updates and reports, for example, covering police operations in Nigeria  YouTube: Operates a channel where he uploads videos on current affairs and news content  Twitter/X: Active under the handle @akonedo_osazuwa, posting updates on events and news  Facebook: Profiles listing his connection to news and media activities can be found on Facebook  Mobile App: Offers a dedicated mobile application for news access through Google Play (Osazuwa Akonedo News App) providing text, video, and photo news formats  News Reporting and Content He produces news content covering national and local stories, including criminal activities, government updates, and investigative reports   His reporting spans multiple formats, making it accessible to a wide audience through online platforms, mobile apps, and social media  Other Contributions In addition to journalism, Osazuwa Akonedo has also ventured into audio releases, such as “Former Justice Minister Abubakar Malami Begs Nigerians For Justice” released on January 25, 2026   He also hosts podcasts documenting significant events, e.g, NDLEA arrests related to historical criminal cases  Summary Osazuwa Akonedo is a multifaceted media professional engaged in journalism, social media content creation, music, and technology via his news app. He utilizes platforms like TikTok, YouTube, Twitter/X, Facebook, and mobile applications to disseminate news and reach audiences both locally and internationally Credit: Azure AI

Linkedin Tiktok Facebook Twitter Instagram Youtube