South Korea’s president survives an impeachment vote

YOON SUK YEOL is one of South Korea’s most reviled public figures. But after a motion to impeach him failed on December 7th, he is still its president—for now.

The move to impeach Mr Yoon came in response to his short-lived attempt to impose martial law late on December 3rd. The embattled leader survived the impeachment vote thanks to a boycott by the majority of lawmakers from his People’s Power Party (PPP), whose fear of losing power to their opponents in the Democratic Party (DP) apparently trumped any misgivings they had about the president’s erratic and undemocratic actions. Yet the motion was only the first salvo in what is sure to be a sustained battle over Mr Yoon’s fate.

The unexpected declaration of martial law set off a dramatic night in South Korea. The effort to hold Mr Yoon accountable has also been full of twists and turns. Opposition parties wasted no time in calling for him to be ousted: the motion to impeach him was submitted less than 24 hours after Mr Yoon rescinded his martial-law decree. But as the opposition holds only 192 seats in the 300-strong National Assembly, at least eight defectors from the PPP would be needed to reach the 200 votes necessary to eject a president.

At first that seemed plausible. More than a dozen PPP members had voted to overturn Mr Yoon’s martial-law order. Han Dong-hoon, the PPP’s leader, was among those who publicly rebuked the president; on December 6th he declared that Mr Yoon should not be allowed to finish his term, after seeing evidence that the president had allegedly planned to arrest several senior politicians, including Lee Jae-myung, the DP’s leader, and Mr Han himself. Mr Yoon’s image is now toxic. His approval ratings had already been wallowing around 20% before the failed self-coup. After it they dropped to 13% in polling by Gallup Korea, a research outfit.

After disappearing from public view for several days, Mr Yoon re-emerged in the morning of December 7th to deliver a brief, unrepentant address to the nation. He apologised for the “anxiety and inconvenience” his actions had caused, explaining them as an act of “desperation”. He proclaimed himself ready to take “legal and political responsibility”. But he stopped short of resigning, instead saying that he would hand the rest of his term and the fate of his presidency over to his party. Mr Han in turn declared an early end to his term “unavoidable”, but stopped short of endorsing impeachment. The cryptic signals set up a nail-biting vote that evening.

Tens, if not hundreds, of thousands of South Koreans filled the streets around the National Assembly, shouting “Impeach him, arrest him!” The sight of heavily armed troops descending on the same site earlier in the week had invoked bitter memories of brutal military rule—and inspired many South Koreans, young and old, to come out in protest. “It shook the very foundations of our democracy—as citizens we have to take a stand,” says Jeong Chan-ho, a college student. Many huddled over smartphones to watch the proceedings unfolding inside the building, shivering in sub-zero temperatures.

The impeachment vote was held as a secret ballot, so that defectors from the PPP could remain anonymous. But as the moment approached, the party’s lawmakers left the chambers en masse. Only one stayed behind. Opposition leaders made public appeals, calling PPP members out by name. But only two others eventually rejoined the proceedings. With only 195 assembly members present, the impeachment motion failed to reach the two-thirds threshold.

Opposition leaders have promised to continue pushing for Mr Yoon’s ousting. “We will win and by Christmas, by year-end, we will return the state back to normal to you as a Christmas present,” Mr Lee promised. Another vote may come as soon as December 11th. The PPP seems determined to find a way to sideline Mr Yoon without triggering a fresh presidential election that they would almost certainly lose—a far-fetched aim that would probably require tweaking the constitution. In the meantime, pressure from the street is sure to mount. “People will keep protesting as long as it takes,” says Park Jin-sik, an entrepreneur from Seoul. “How can we have a president who sends troops to point guns at his own citizens? That’s not our Korea.”■