South Korea is at a political boiling point, and opposition leader Lee Jae-myung isn’t giving up either. On Friday, Lee declared that the only way to restore order was to impeach President Yoon Suk Yeol. This statement comes just a day before a crucial parliamentary vote over Yoon’s controversial—and short-lived—imposition of martial law.
Yoon’s move to impose military rule on December 3 lasted just six hours before being rescinded, but the damage was done. The country was thrown into a constitutional crisis, with widespread calls for Yoon to step down for breaking the law.
While Yoon managed to dodge an initial impeachment attempt last week—thanks to his People Power Party (PPP) boycotting the vote—momentum for his removal is building. At least seven members of the PPP have since announced plans to back impeachment, putting the opposition tantalizingly close to the 200-vote threshold needed. The opposition already has 192 lawmakers on board, so just one more PPP defector could seal Yoon’s fate.
Yoon: “I’ll Fight to the End”
President Yoon isn’t going down quietly. On Thursday, he accused the opposition of paralyzing the government and raised eyebrows by claiming, without evidence, that a North Korean hack may have compromised the integrity of an April parliamentary election that handed his party a crushing defeat.
Lee Jae-myung was quick to fire back, calling Yoon’s remarks “a declaration of war” against the South Korean people. “It proved that impeachment is the fastest and most effective way to end the confusion,” Lee said, urging PPP lawmakers to “vote yes for impeachment” and reminding them that “history will remember and record your decision.”
The Public Speaks
The public mood seems clear. A Gallup Korea poll released on Friday found that while two-thirds of PPP supporters oppose impeachment, three-quarters of all respondents are in favor of it.
If Saturday’s vote succeeds, Yoon’s fate will rest with the Constitutional Court, which has six months to decide whether to remove him from office or reinstate him.
Election Integrity Questioned
Adding fuel to the fire, Yoon claimed the National Election Commission refused to cooperate with a systems inspection, which he said raised doubts about the integrity of the April elections. However, the commission’s Secretary General, Kim Yong-bin, strongly denied the allegations. “Voting is entirely done by paper ballots,” Kim said on Friday, noting that courts have already dismissed all 216 claims of election irregularities as baseless.
Legal Trouble Looms
Meanwhile, Yoon faces a separate criminal investigation for alleged insurrection related to his martial law declaration. As part of the probe, prosecutors on Friday arrested an army commander in the Capital Defence Command and detained the country’s two most senior police officers for their alleged involvement in the martial law order, according to Yonhap News Agency.
South Korea now stands at a crossroads, with tomorrow’s vote poised to shape the country’s political future. The question is: will lawmakers step up to impeach a defiant president, or will Yoon find a way to survive yet again?
