South Korea votes to impeach President Yoon amid massive protests over his martial law order

The South Korean Parliament voted on December 14 to impeach President Yoon Suk Yeol with 204 lawmakers supporting the motion. As a result, Yoon will be immediately suspended from office, and the Prime Minister will assume the role of acting president.

The impeachment passed with 204 votes in favour, 85 against, three abstentions, and eight invalid votes out of 300 total lawmakers. Speaker Woo Won-shik announced the vote result and closed the session.

“To the people, we hope your year-end will be a little happier now, and that all your canceled celebrations will be restored,” Woo said. “The future of the Republic of Korea is in the hands of the people, and our hope remains strong. Thank you very much.”

However, this vote does not automatically mean Yoon will be permanently removed from office.

The impeachment process could take several weeks, as a trial must be held before the Constitutional Court. If six of the nine judges vote to uphold the impeachment, Yoon will be removed from office.

Yoon's presidential powers will be suspended once copies of the impeachment documents are delivered to him and the Constitutional Court. The court has up to 180 days to rule on whether to dismiss Yoon or restore his powers.

If he is removed, a national election to choose his successor must take place within 60 days.

This is the second impeachment vote in the National Assembly regarding Yoon. On December 7, Yoon survived a similar vote after most ruling party lawmakers boycotted the session.

Yoon’s brief imposition of martial law — the first in South Korea in over 40 years — lasted only six hours but caused significant political upheaval, disrupted diplomatic efforts, and unsettled financial markets. He was forced to revoke the decree after Parliament unanimously voted to overturn it.

After declaring martial law, Yoon sent hundreds of troops and police officers to the parliament to prevent the vote on the decree, but they withdrew after the parliament rejected it. No significant violence occurred.

Outside the National Assembly, thousands of protesters gathered and sang the traditional labor anthem “March for Our Beloved,” written in 1981 to honor democratic activists killed during the Gwangju protests of 1980.