South Korea's National Assembly Impeaches Yoon Suk Yeol With 204 Votes: Presidential Powers Suspended
On December 14, 2024, in Seoul, South Korea, the National Assembly voted 204 to 85 to impeach President Yoon Suk Yeol, clearing the two-thirds majority of 200 votes required in the 300-member legislature. Once the impeachment resolution was delivered, Yoon's presidential powers and duties were suspended, and Prime Minister Han Duck-soo became acting president.
It was the Assembly's second vote on the motion in a week. A first vote on December 7 failed when lawmakers of Yoon's People Power Party boycotted the proceedings and the vote did not reach a quorum; in the second vote, 12 ruling-party lawmakers voted in favor. According to the Congressional Research Service (CRS) report on the crisis, the impeachment stemmed from Yoon's declaration of emergency martial law late on December 3: the Assembly voted 190 to 0 overnight to demand that the order be rescinded, and Yoon lifted martial law hours later.
The case now goes to South Korea's Constitutional Court, which must rule within 180 days on whether to uphold the impeachment. If the court upholds it, Yoon will be removed from office and South Korea must hold a new presidential election within 60 days; if the court overturns it, Yoon will be reinstated. After the vote, President Joe Biden spoke with Acting President Han and expressed his appreciation for the resiliency of democracy and the rule of law in South Korea, a call the White House announced the following day.
Yoon is the third president in South Korea's constitutional history to be impeached by the National Assembly. His single five-year term had been scheduled to run until 2027. (Source: Congressional Research Service)
Related: South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol Declares Martial Law, Then Lifts It About Six Hours Later
Source: Congressional Research Service
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：位于首尔汝矣岛的韩国国会大厦，弹劾动议在这里表决通过。Cjb8293 摄，CC BY-SA 4.0，经 Wikimedia Commons。 / Photo: The National Assembly building on Yeouido in Seoul, where the impeachment motion was passed. Photo by Cjb8293, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
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- 2024-12-14South Korea's National Assembly Impeaches Yoon Suk Yeol With 204 Votes: Presidential Powers SuspendedThis story
