Impeachment of ROK President Failed: Situation Has Moved Further Away from Being Resolved

Editorial

15:00 JST, December 9, 2024

The impeachment motion against South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol has failed, but the situation is still far from being resolved. It is likely inevitable that the turmoil will spread further.

Voting was held in South Korea’s 300-member National Assembly on an impeachment motion submitted by the leftwing opposition over Yoon’s declaration of martial law. A two-thirds majority of all members was needed for the motion to pass, but most of the ruling party members left the assembly chamber.

Prior to the vote, Yoon made a statement during a televised broadcast in which he apologized for declaring martial law. Yoon did not mention resigning, but he said, “I will not avoid any legal or political responsibility.” The president said he would leave future political stability measures in the hands of his party.

This was the first time that Yoon had appeared in public since he announced the lifting of martial law on Wednesday. Shouldn’t Yoon have provided an explanation in his own words much earlier about the fact that his abrupt declaration of martial law sent shock waves both domestically and internationally?

There is no doubt that the president’s handling of the case has led to growing mistrust among the public. For a time, there were moves to support impeachment even within the ruling party. However, because Yoon apologized, the ruling party came to an agreement on opposing the impeachment motion. But calls still linger for the president to step down soon.

The battle between the ruling and opposition parties over the president’s course of action will certainly continue. The opposition has vowed to continue to submit impeachment motions until one is passed, and to unsettle the Yoon administration.

The opposition bloc holds the majority in the assembly. Although it can only be described as an outrageous move for Yoon to have resorted to the iron-fisted approach of declaring martial law, citing the need to break an impasse in national politics as a reason, the opposition side’s attempt to push through its agenda by strength of numbers is also a factor that is amplifying the turmoil.

The future course of events is difficult to predict. If a new impeachment motion is submitted and passed, the president will immediately be suspended from his duties. If the Constitutional Court rules for his removal, the president will lose his job and a presidential election will be called. An election will also be held if Yoon resigns.

In South Korea, conflict between the conservative and leftwing factions has become the norm. The conservative Yoon administration has placed importance on relations with Japan and the United States and has taken a tough stance toward North Korea. Depending on the outcome of the next presidential election, there is a risk that this foreign policy stance could be overturned completely.

It has already been reported that U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has canceled his visit to South Korea. Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba and Defense Minister Gen Nakatani are also in a situation where they have to put off their visit to South Korea – which has been under consideration – for the time being.

Members of the South Korean ruling and opposition parties who are involved in this matter are encouraged to make every effort to ensure that the turmoil in the nation’s domestic politics does not have a negative impact on Tokyo-Seoul relations or the international order.

(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, Dec. 8, 2024)