Seoul: South Korean lawmakers voted to impeach President Yoon Suk Yeol on Saturday following his failed attempt to impose martial law last week.
Of the 300 lawmakers, 204 voted in favor of impeachment on charges of insurrection, while 85 voted against it. Three lawmakers abstained, and eight votes were nullified.
The impeachment motion, which required a two-thirds majority to pass, alleged that Yoon committed insurrection by staging a series of riots and threatening the National Assembly and the public.
Yoon’s presidential powers and duties have been suspended, and Prime Minister Han Duck-soo has taken over as interim president. The Constitutional Court will now deliberate on whether to uphold Yoon’s removal, with a decision expected within 180 days. If the court rules against Yoon, he would become the second president in South Korean history to be successfully impeached, triggering a presidential election within 60 days.
