South Korea President, Yoon Suk Yeol has vowed to unturned his impeachment votes passed by Lawmakers on Saturday evening, according to the Asia country local time, a parliamentary decision which suspended him from performing his duties as the country president but he will remain in office as the nation’s President until the Constitutional Court made of six judges, four of whom were appointed by Yoon, decide if the impeachment is lawfully acceptable or not.

Yoon Suk-yeol was suspended from presidential duties at South Korea local time at 7:24pm Saturday, according to local media. The impeachment case will proceed to the Constitutional Court for review, and according to local observers, there is still uncertainty regarding the result at the Constitutional Court, saying, there are currently only six judges, four of whom were appointed by Yoon.

South Korean lawmakers voted on Saturday after last Saturday insufficient votes,  to impeach President Yoon Suk Yeol following a short-lived declaration of martial law last week Tuesday night.

Yoon presidential powers are expectedly according to the law will be formally suspended once he is served with a copy of the impeachment resolution.

Prime Minister, Han Duck-soo, appointed by Yoon in 2022 will take over as acting president while the country’s Constitutional Court takes up the matter.

Shortly after the parliamentary votes, Yoon in a Nationwide address, repeated his intention to fight the impeachment in the Constitutional Court, which will now decide whether to reinstate or formally remove him, a process that could take up to six months. “I will never give up,” he said in a televised address shortly after the vote.

Reports and videos posted online showed inside the National Assembly with a loud cheers and gasps from lawmakers when the speaker announced that the votes in favor of impeachment had crossed the 200 needed to pass. The result indicated that 12 lawmakers from Yoon’s party joined the opposition to impeach him.

Earlier reports showed protests in full swing outside the National Assembly with thousands kept coming but orderly carrying placards, and floor cushions were distributed with markings on the floor for where to sit. “People streaming out of subway stations here and nearby. It feels like today’s protest is their duty”, one of the South Korean resident in Seoul stated in a tweet on X social media.

The thousands of protesters gathered outside the Assembly in frigid weather jumped up and down, and hugged or shook hands with some playing drums in celebration of the favoured impeachment votes were announced.

Outside the National Assembly, loud cheers washed over a large crowd of pro-impeachment protesters, some of whom had set up free coffee and food stalls for fellow participants.

Accoding to local observers, the Constitutional Court would have 180 days to rule on Yoon’s future. If it backs his removal, Yoon would become the second president in South Korean history to be successfully impeached.

A dozen members of Yoon’s conservative People Power Party joined opposition lawmakers to pass the threshold of 200 votes, which was two-thirds of the legislators required for his impeachment. The final vote was 204 to 85.

“This is a triumph of democracy and of the South Korean people,” Park Chan-dae, the opposition party floor leader, said after the vote.

The opposition leader, Lee Jae-myung, while addressing the crowd, noted that their fight was not over. “We’ve only just overcome a small mountain,” Lee said. “There is a larger, steeper mountain ahead”, Lee added.

Han, the prime minister who will step in to perform presidential duties, was appointed by Yoon in 2022. On Saturday, Han said in a brief comments that his heart was heavy. “I will focus all my strength and effort on stably running the affairs of the state,” he said.

The National Assembly voted to impeach President Yoon, with 204 lawmakers in the 300-member house in favor and 85 against the motion. Three refused to vote or decided to be neutral, while eight votes were declared invalid.

During the week, we had reported that South Korea Defence Minister, Kim Yong-hyun who is believed to have recommended hours long Martial Law that turned the Asia country into political turmoil since last week Tuesday have been arrested on Sunday after he had resigned last Wednesday, and others believed to be involved in the martial law decision have been placed on travel ban with the ruling People Power Party, PPP, saying, the President, Yoon Suk Yeol would no longer be able to travel or participate in foreign and domestic affairs until he resigned.

Bae Sang-up, a Justice Ministry official, had told a parliamentary hearing that the South Korea Justice Ministry has banned President Yoon from leaving the country following requests by police, prosecutors and an anti-corruption agency as they expand their investigations into the circumstances surrounding Yoon’s power grab.

AP international News Agency reported that; “While a sitting South Korean president has immunity from prosecution while in office, that doesn’t extend to allegations of rebellion or treason. This means that Yoon can be questioned and detained by police over his martial law decree, but many observers doubt that police will forcefully detain him because of the potential for clashes with his presidential security service.

They also say the security service won’t likely permit searches of Yoon’s office, citing a law that prohibits searches on sites with state secrets without approval from those in charge of those areas.

In the case of former President Park Geun-hye, who was thrown out of office in 2017 after being impeached by parliament over a corruption scandal, prosecutors failed to search her office and ended up receiving documents outside the compound because presidential officials turned them away.

After refusing to meet with prosecutors while in office, Park underwent questioning by them and was arrested after the Constitutional Court approved her impeachment and ruled to dismiss her as president in March 2017″.

Meanwhile, Reuters reported that; “South Korea’s main opposition party said on Tuesday it would pass a government budget bill for 2025 that triggered President Yoon Suk Yeol’s martial law decree last week, at a plenary session scheduled to be held later in the day.

The opposition-controlled parliament last month cut 4.1 trillion won from the government’s proposed 677.4 trillion won ($473 billion) budget.

“We will pass the budget bill today,” Democratic Party Leader, Lee Jae-myung said. “A swift passage of the bill will help resolve the current uneasiness and crisis.”

The government says the budget cut will paralyse basic government functions, hinder responses to external challenges and delay policy measures for small businesses and the vulnerable. President Yoon cited opposition obstructionism over government budgets as one justification for his martial law decree on December 3, which triggered a constitutional crisis in Asia’s fourth-largest economy.

Senior Democratic Party lawmaker, Park Chan-dae said if the government needed money for “spending for people’s livelihoods, it can be solved later through an extra budget”.

Although Yoon narrowly avoided impeachment during a parliamentary vote on Saturday, local media reported that the President remains under intense scrutiny with investigations ongoing into allegations of insurrection and abuses of power, with several key allies also implicated.

The justice ministry confirmed that former defense minister, Kim Yong-hyun, has been arrested and now in detention, and ex-interior minister, Lee Sang-min are among those prohibited from traveling abroad.

General Park An-su, who led the martial law operation, and counterintelligence commander, Yeo In-hyung have also been barred from leaving the country.

Park faced further questioning on Monday as investigators ramped up their efforts to uncover details surrounding the failed imposition of martial law.

Opposition leaders have decried Yoon’s decision to transfer powers to his unelected prime minister and People Power Party (PPP) chief, labeling it a “blatant constitutional violation.”

Democratic Party leader, Park Chan-dae accused Yoon of orchestrating a “second insurrection” by undermining South Korea’s constitutional framework.

Former Defence Minister, Kim Yong-hyun, who reportedly proposed the martial law declaration to Yoon, was arrested on Sunday. He had earlier resigned on Wednesday after apologising and saying he would take “full responsibility”.

Travel bans have been placed on Kim, Lee, Defence Counterintelligence Commander, Yeo In-hyung, and Army Chief of Staff Park An-su. Many others have stepped down from their political offices.

These include former Interior Minister, Lee Sang-min who resigned on Sunday, saying he would take responsibility for “failing to serve the public and the president well”.

Some had on Wednesday, which included senior aides of Yoon’s office, including his chief of staff, tendered mass resignations hours after the martial law declaration was lifted.

In a public address on Sunday, PPP leader Han Dong-hoon said Yoon will no longer be involved in foreign and domestic affairs until his early resignation – adding that Prime Minister Han Duck-soo would manage government affairs in the meantime.

“The President will not be involved in any state affairs including diplomacy before his exit,” said party leader Han.

Democratic Party floor leader, Park Chan-dae described the proposed plan as “an illegal, unconstitutional second insurrection and a second coup”.

Representative Kim Min-seok of the Democratic Party similarly criticised the plan, saying “nobody gave” PPP leader Han the power to make such decisions.

“The prime minister and the ruling party’s announcement that they would jointly exercise the powers of the president, which no one has given them, is clearly unconstitutional,” he said, according to a report on The Korea Herald.

The Ministry of National Defence confirmed at a briefing on Monday that the president retains command of the armed forces. That means in the event of any foreign policy incidents, including any possible threat from North Korea, Yoon is still, in theory, able to make executive decisions, according to BBC.

We had reported that 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.