South Korea’s main opposition party submitted a motion on Thursday to impeach the country’s acting leader over his reluctance to fill three Constitutional Court vacancies ahead of the court’s review of rebellion charges against impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol stemming from his short-lived martial law decree on Dec. 3. The court appointments have stalled amid an intensifying dispute between the liberal opposition and Yoon’s conservative party, and the potential impeachment of Prime Minister Han Duck-soo may deepen the political paralysis that has halted high-level diplomacy and rattled financial markets. The opposition-controlled National Assembly also passed motions calling for the appointment of three Constitutional Court justices as the court prepares to start deliberations on whether to dismiss or reinstate Yoon. The vote came shortly after Han reiterated in a televised statement that he wouldn’t appoint the justices without bipartisan consent. National Assembly Speaker Woo Won Shik urged Han to swiftly appoint the justices, saying that his calls for bipartisan consent essentially amounted to a refusal and “infringes on the National Assembly’s right to select Constitutional Court justices.” Yoon’s People Power Party, whose members mostly boycotted the National Assembly vote, argued that Han shouldn’t exercise presidential authority to appoint the proposed justices while Yoon has yet to be formally removed from office. The main opposition Democratic Party has accused the conservatives of undermining the court process to save Yoon’s presidency, and its motion to impeach Han could go to a floor vote as early as Friday. The Democrats’ floor leader, Park Chan-dae, said Han’s comments showed “he lacks both the qualifications to serve as the acting leader and the will to uphold the Constitution.” Yoon’s presidential powers were suspended after the National Assembly voted to impeach him on Dec. 14 over an attempted power grab that lasted only hours but has triggered weeks of political turmoil that has shaken one of Asia’s most robust democracies. To formally end Yoon’s presidency, at least six justices on the nine-member Constitutional Court must vote in favor. Three seats remain vacant following retirements and a full bench could make conviction more likely. The court, which is to hold a pretrial hearing in Yoon’s case on Friday, has said it believes the acting president can exercise the right to appoint justices. Read: South Korea's opposition party vows to impeach acting president Three of the court’s nine justices are directly appointed by the president. Three are nominated by the head of the Supreme Court and three by the National Assembly, and they are then formally appointed by the president in what is widely considered a procedural matter. The three seats that are currently open are to be nominated by lawmakers. South Korea’s Constitution states that the National Assembly “selects” three spots on the court rather than recommends, suggesting that the presidential appointments for these spots are a formality rather than a substantive authority, according to some legal experts. “The consistent spirit reflected in our Constitution and laws is that an acting president should focus on maintaining stability in governance to help the country overcome crisis while refraining from exercising significant powers exclusive to the president, including appointments to constitutional institutions,” Han said. “I will withhold the appointment of Constitutional Court justices until the ruling and opposition parties submit an agreed-upon proposal.” Han has also clashed with the Democrats over his vetoes of controversial agricultural bills endorsed by the opposition and refusal to approve bills calling for independent investigations of Yoon and corruption allegations involving his wife, Kim Keon Hee.   If Han is impeached, Choi Sang-mok, the country’s deputy prime minister and finance minister, is next in line. The impeachment vote against Han could face legal ambiguities. Most South Korean officials can be impeached with a simple majority of the National Assembly, but impeaching presidents requires two-thirds. The rival parties differ on which standard should apply to an acting president. The Democratic Party controls 170 of the National Assembly’s 300 seats, so it would need support from members of other parties including Yoon’s own to get a two-thirds majority. Read more: South Korea's opposition chief urges swift action from top court on impeachment While focusing on defending himself in the Constitutional Court, Yoon has dodged several requests by law enforcement authorities to appear for questioning over rebellion charges and also blocked searches of his office. The Corruption Investigation Office for High-Ranking Officials, which is leading a joint investigation with police and military authorities of Yoon, summoned him for questioning this Sunday after he ignored a request to appear on Christmas Day. The office plans to question Yoon on charges of abuse of authority and orchestrating a rebellion. Authorities have already arrested Yoon’s defense minister, police chief and several other military commanders involved in the attempt to implement martial law, which harkened back to the days of authoritarian leaders the country hasn’t seen since the 1980s. In a news conference in Seoul, Yoo Seung Soo, lawyer for former Defense Minister Kim Yong Hyun, repeated Yoon’s claim that his martial law decree was to “sound alarm against ... political abuse” by an opposition that has bogged down his agenda, and did not amount to a rebellion.

South Korea's parliament voted Saturday to impeach President Yoon Suk Yeol, citing allegations of rebellion related to his controversial martial law order on December 3. The decree, which lasted only six hours, has ignited a political crisis in the country.  The National Assembly passed the impeachment motion with a vote of 204-85. Yoon's presidential duties will be suspended once the impeachment notice is delivered to him and the Constitutional Court, which has 180 days to decide whether to remove him from office or reinstate him. If dismissed, a national election must take place within 60 days.  This marks the second attempt to impeach Yoon after a failed vote last week, where most ruling party lawmakers abstained. Growing public outcry and plummeting approval ratings have since led some members of Yoon's People Power Party to support the impeachment.  South Korean lawmakers to vote on Impeachment of President Yoon over martial law decree For two weeks, tens of thousands of protesters in Seoul have called for Yoon’s removal, while smaller groups of his supporters held counter-rallies. Both sides have demonstrated peacefully.  Yoon’s martial law order, the first in over 40 years, was declared in response to tensions with the opposition Democratic Party, which holds a parliamentary majority. Yoon deployed troops and police to block a parliamentary vote on his decree, but they withdrew after lawmakers unanimously overturned the martial law.  Opposition leaders and legal experts accuse Yoon of rebellion, arguing his decree violated constitutional provisions allowing martial law only during wartime or emergencies. They claim his actions disrupted the National Assembly and undermined democratic governance.  The impeachment motion alleges Yoon staged a “rebellion” by using military and police forces to intimidate parliament and the public. In a defiant speech Thursday, Yoon denied the charges, claiming his actions were intended to counter the Democratic Party, which he called “anti-state forces.”  Democratic Party leader Lee Jae-myung condemned Yoon’s remarks, describing them as a “declaration of war” against the people.  Yoon is banned from leaving the country as authorities investigate whether he and others involved in the martial law order committed crimes such as rebellion or abuse of power. While Yoon enjoys immunity from most criminal charges, rebellion and treason are exceptions.  Several top officials, including the defense minister and police chiefs, have been arrested in connection with the martial law case. Investigations into other senior figures are ongoing. 

Yoon Suk Yeol's rise to the pinnacle of South Korean politics was built on decades of legal achievements, yet his legacy may ultimately be defined by one mystifying decision: deploying troops under martial law based on ambiguous claims that one of Asia's leading democracies faced an existential threat, report AP. What in Yoon’s background hinted at this dramatic turn? Yoon, a staunch conservative and a veteran prosecutor, transitioned from a political newcomer to the presidency in 2022. His election marked the end of five years of liberal governance characterised by unsuccessful attempts to address North Korea’s nuclear ambitions and economic stagnation. However, Yoon’s presidency has been marred by relentless friction with an opposition-controlled parliament, threats from North Korea, and scandals involving him and his wife. Critics describe him as impulsive, thin-skinned, and overly reliant on a close circle of loyalists. Key facts about martial law and the push to impeach South Korea’s president Amid impeachment proceedings in parliament, no single factor explains his move to override democratic norms with martial law, justified by his vague claim that “anti-state forces” influenced by North Korea were active. Yet, threads from Yoon's background, including his intense animosity towards the liberal opposition and his confrontational approach to North Korea, shed light on this pivotal moment in his presidency. A Turbulent Journey to Top Prosecutor Despite 2 1/2 years as president, Yoon’s career has primarily revolved around law enforcement rather than politics. Born in Seoul to two professors, Yoon studied law at Seoul National University. A defining moment came in 1980 when he enacted a mock trial against dictator Chun Doo-hwan during a university event, sentencing him to life imprisonment. This act forced Yoon into hiding as Chun extended martial law and deployed troops to the university. Yoon later returned to Seoul to pursue a nearly three-decade career as a state prosecutor, earning a reputation for being tough and unyielding. South Korean Defence Minister resigns A Confrontational Style Yet, his leadership style has drawn criticism for being unsuitable for high office. “President Yoon isn’t well-prepared and acts impulsively,” said Choi Jin, director of the Seoul-based Institute of Presidential Leadership. “He shows his emotions openly and tends to operate within a tight-knit group, sidelining broader consensus.” This trait was evident during a 2013 parliamentary audit, where Yoon, then a senior prosecutor, accused his superiors of pressuring him to stop investigating allegations of election interference by the country’s spy agency. His bold declaration, “I’m not loyal to (high-level) people,” led to his demotion. Following the impeachment of conservative President Park Geun-hye in 2017, liberal President Moon Jae-in elevated Yoon to head of a key prosecution office, which investigated Park. Moon later appointed Yoon as South Korea’s top prosecutor. A Political Neophyte Yoon only entered politics about a year before his presidential victory, parting ways with Moon over a deadlock involving prosecution reforms. Moon’s allies accused Yoon of using the probe to bolster his own political ambitions. In 2022, Yoon narrowly defeated liberal firebrand Lee Jae-myung in South Korea’s closest presidential race, marred by vitriolic exchanges. Yoon likened Lee’s party to “Hitler” and “Mussolini,” while Lee’s allies called Yoon “a beast” and mocked his wife’s alleged cosmetic surgery. Domestic Discord Yoon’s presidency has been dominated by political gridlock and acrimony. His narrow electoral victory and his party’s inability to secure parliamentary control have exacerbated tensions. The opposition, which retains parliamentary dominance until 2027, has repeatedly clashed with Yoon over legislative and budgetary issues. Yoon justified his martial law declaration by accusing the opposition of plotting rebellion, citing their impeachment efforts against his officials and budgetary obstructions. Scandals have further eroded Yoon’s approval ratings. Last month, he denied involvement in an influence-peddling scandal linked to him and his wife, Kim Keon Hee. Separate footage purportedly shows Kim accepting a luxury gift from a pastor. Choi speculates that Yoon’s “clumsy martial law” attempt may have been an effort to distract from these controversies. “Yoon likely believed he had no other option to shake up the political landscape, but he failed,” Choi said. A Hardline Standoff with North Korea While domestic scandals have shaped Yoon’s presidency, his foreign policy has been marked by a hardline stance on North Korea. Yoon initially proposed economic incentives to encourage North Korea to abandon its nuclear programme. However, relations soured as Pyongyang intensified weapons testing and threats. By last year, North Korea was openly mocking Yoon, calling him “a diplomatic idiot” and sending balloons filled with trash over the border, some reaching the presidential compound. Yoon’s invocation of North Korea as a domestic threat echoes South Korea’s authoritarian past, when strongmen used fears of northern aggression to suppress political dissent.

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol declared martial law late Tuesday, accusing opposition forces of sympathizing with North Korea and vowing to eliminate “anti-state” elements. His declaration followed months of political tensions, with the opposition controlling the parliament. However, within hours, South Korea's parliament voted to reverse the president's decision, with National Assembly Speaker Woo Won Shik declaring that lawmakers would “protect democracy with the people.” Woo called for the military and police to withdraw from the Assembly grounds. The president’s move, reminiscent of past authoritarian measures not seen in South Korea since the 1980s, was swiftly condemned by both the opposition and the leader of Yoon’s own conservative party. In the wake of the declaration, South Korea’s military announced that political gatherings, including those in parliament, would be suspended. The military also instructed striking doctors to return to work within 48 hours, threatening arrest without a warrant for violators. Read: Emergency martial law declared in South Korea Under South Korean law, martial law can be lifted by a majority vote in parliament, which is currently dominated by the opposition Democratic Party. The National Assembly’s swift response saw all 190 participating lawmakers voting in favor of rescinding the martial law, with TV footage showing soldiers leaving the parliament grounds afterward. Earlier, there were scenes of military and police presence around parliament, with soldiers seen carrying rifles and helicopters circling overhead. The conservative People Power Party’s leader, Han Dong-hoon, described the martial law declaration as “wrong,” while opposition leader Lee Jae-myung called it “illegal and unconstitutional.” In a televised address, President Yoon stated that martial law was necessary to prevent the nation from "falling into the depths of national ruin." He vowed to eliminate pro-North Korean forces and protect South Korea’s democratic order. Yoon, who has faced political challenges and a dip in approval ratings, has been struggling to push his agenda against an opposition-controlled parliament. Yoon’s martial law declaration is the first in South Korea since its democratization in 1987 and the first since the last martial law was imposed in 1979. Source: With inputs from agencies