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South Korean oppn parties move to impeach president

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South Korean oppn parties move to impeach president

Seoul: South Korea’s opposition parties moved Wednesday to impeach the president over the shocking and short-lived declaration of martial law that drew heavily armed troops to encircle parliament before lawmakers climbed walls to reenter the building and unanimously voted to lift his order.
Vote on impeachment today
Impeaching Yoon Suk Yeol would require the support of two-thirds of parliament, and at least six justices of the nine-member Constitutional Court would have to endorse it to remove him. The motion to impeach, submitted jointly by the main liberal opposition Democratic Party and five smaller opposition parties, could be put to a vote as early as Friday.
Defence min offers to quit
Yoon’s senior policy advisers and defence minster Kim Yong Hyun offered to resign as the nation struggled to make sense of what appeared to be a poorly conceived stunt. The Democratic Party submitted a separate motion to impeach Kim, who allegedly recommended the martial law declaration to Yoon.
Martial law lasted 6 hours
In his speech announcing the abrupt order Tuesday night, Yoon vowed to eliminate “anti-state” forces and continued to criticise the Democratic Party’s attempts to impeach key govt officials. But martial law lasted only about six hours, ending after the National Assembly voted to overrule Yoon and his cabinet formally lifted it before daybreak Wednesday.
200 lawmakers needed to
approve impeachment vote
Democratic Party lawmakers, who hold a majority in the 300-seat parliament, called on Yoon to quit immediately or they would take steps to impeach him. Yoon’s martial law declaration “was a clear violation of the constitution…,” a party statement said. The order “…was a grave act of rebellion and provides perfect grounds for his impeachment.”
Impeaching him would require support from 200 National Assembly members. The Democratic Party and other opposition parties together have 192 seats. But they could seek additional votes from Yoon’s ruling conservative People Power Party. The 190-0 vote that rejected martial law included the votes of 18 lawmakers from the PPP, according to National Assembly officials.
PM takes over if prez ousted
If Yoon is impeached, he will be stripped of his constitutional powers until the Constitutional Court rules. PM Han Duck-soo, who holds the No. 2 position in the govt, would take over presidential responsibilities. The Constitutional Court has only six incumbent justices following three retirements. That means all six must approve the impeachment motion for it to succeed.
Oppn leader and speaker were seen climbing walls
After Yoon’s declaration, troops carrying full battle gear, including assault rifles, tried to keep protesters away from the National Assembly as military helicopters landed nearby. One soldier pointed his assault rifle at a woman who was among protesters outside the building demanding that the martial law be lifted. It wasn’t clear how 190 lawmakers were able to enter a parliamentary hall to vote down Yoon’s martial law decree. Opposition leader Lee Jae-myung and National Assembly Speaker Woo Won Shik were seen climbing over walls. ap

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