South Korea’s ruling People Power Party (PPP) boycotted the parliamentary vote on President Yoon Suk-yeol’s impeachment, reported Yonhap News Agency. All but one PPP member left the parliament before the vote, indicating a lack of sufficient support for the impeachment.
The parliament is voting on a motion to impeach the president, which requires at least 200 out of 300 members to approve. Opposition parties hold 192 seats and require some PPP support.
PPP leader Han previously stated he would not back the motion but later expressed that the party believed Yoon should be removed, citing intelligence that Yoon intended to arrest high-ranking politicians, including Han. President Yoon declared a state of emergency last Tuesday, bypassing parliament, claiming the opposition was obstructing governance.
The parliament succeeded in passing a motion to lift the emergency, with all present members, including those from Yoon’s party, voting in favor. Hours before today’s vote, President Yoon apologized on television for declaring the military state and promised not to do so again.
Already unpopular, Yoon’s approval rating fell from 19% to 13% according to a recent poll.
Source: NOS