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A motion to impeach South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol has been passed. Yoon has indicated his determination to fight to the end, through the impeachment trial at the Constitutional Court, and there is no prospect of the nation’s political turmoil being resolved.
With the passing of the motion to impeach him, Yoon was immediately suspended from his presidential powers. There is concern that the prolonged absence of power in South Korea will have a negative impact on Japan-South Korea relations and other aspects of the situation in Asia.
The second impeachment motion submitted to the South Korean National Assembly by the leftwing opposition regarding Yoon’s declaration of martial law was supported by at least eight members of the conservative ruling party, in addition to the opposition parties.
The ruling party had initially intended to settle the situation by having Yoon resign as soon as possible. For this reason, they boycotted the vote on the first impeachment motion, causing it to fail. But Yoon refused to step down, so the belief that impeachment could not be avoided spread even within the ruling party.
Yoon still aims to return to power. After the vote, he issued a statement saying that he would never give up. In a separate statement prior to the vote, he explained that the purpose of martial law was to inform the public that the opposition parties were obstructing the management of national politics.
However, it is hard to imagine that the public would understand the one-sided logic of mobilizing the military to inform the public. Yoon cannot evade responsibility for abusing his power and plunging the country into massive turmoil.
Yoon is also the subject of investigations mainly by the police and prosecutors on suspicion of rebellion. This is an extraordinary situation in which a trial over impeachment and investigations are proceeding in parallel.
In addition to the confrontation between the ruling and opposition parties, the bickering for dominance within the ruling party and between the investigative agencies is likely to intensify. However, rather than engaging in political maneuvering, efforts should be made to restore order in a democratic manner through legal procedures.
If at least six of the nine judges at the Constitutional Court support removing him from office, Yoon will lose his job and a presidential election will be held within 60 days.
The ruling party’s approval rating has plunged over its handling of the situation with Yoon. Meanwhile, the opposition parties are heightening their offensive. The opposition has criticized Yoon’s efforts to improve relations with Japan as “humiliating diplomacy.”
Next year will mark the 60th anniversary of the normalization of diplomatic relations between Japan and South Korea, but if the influence of the opposition parties increases, it is inevitable that Japan-South Korea relations will move backward again. It is also essential to remain vigilant about the situation in North Korea.
Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya recently spoke on the phone with his South Korean counterpart for the first time since the declaration of martial law, and the two confirmed that the importance of bilateral relations between Japan and South Korea will remain unchanged under any circumstances. It is important that the two countries continue to maintain communication between their working-level officials.
