South Korea’s opposition lawmakers have initiated impeachment proceedings against President Yoon Suk Yeol following his failed attempt to declare martial law.
The nation faced an uncertain situation on Wednesday morning after a night of extraordinary events: Yoon’s unexpected martial law announcement, a swift response from 190 lawmakers voting to overturn it, and the abrupt reversal of his decision.
The main opposition Democratic Party, which filed the impeachment motion, denounced Yoon’s actions as “insurrectionary behavior.”
Parliament is expected to vote on the impeachment by Saturday.
“We can no longer allow democracy to collapse. The lives and safety of the people must be protected,” said Kim Yong-jin, a member of the Democratic party’s central committee.
The Party also said it wants to charge Yoon with “crimes of rebellion”.
It named Minister Kim Yong-hyun and Interior Minister Lee Sang-min as “key participants” of the martial law declaration, saying it also wanted them charged alongside Yoon.
Schools, banks and government offices in Seoul are operating as usual, but protests have continued throughout the city.
“Arrest Yoon Suk-yeol,” some angry citizens chanted as they filled the streets.
South Korea’s largest labor group, the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions, announced on Wednesday that it will hold an indefinite strike until President Yoon Suk Yeol resigns.
This announcement followed dramatic events overnight, where some opposition lawmakers broke through barricades and scaled fences to reach the voting chamber.
After Yoon declared martial law, hundreds of troops stormed the parliament while military helicopters circled above.
Thousands of protesters gathered outside the National Assembly, and 190 lawmakers bypassed police lines to enter the building and vote down the decree.
Yoon’s subsequent announcement that he was reversing his order was met with cheers from the protesters.
On Wednesday, Yoon’s senior aides, including chief of staff Chung Jin-suk and national security adviser Shin Won-sik, resigned, though it remains unclear if their resignations will be accepted.
The presidential office defended the initial martial law declaration, calling it “strictly within the constitutional framework” and stating that the decision was made to “minimize damage” to the economy and citizens’ lives.