The Breathless 5 Days After Martial Law... Yoon, The Crisis Continues

Yoon Overcomes Worst Impeachment Crisis for Now
Still on Thin Ice... Public Opinion Severely Deteriorates

On the afternoon of the 7th, participants filled the streets at the 'Treason Yoon Seok-yeol Resignation! Realization of People's Sovereignty! Great Social Reform! Nationwide Candlelight March' held in front of the National Assembly in Yeouido, Seoul. Photo by Yonhap News.

The National Assembly's impeachment motion against President Yoon Suk-yeol failed on the 7th. Although public opinion worsened significantly following the sudden declaration of martial law on the 3rd, President Yoon managed to retain his position as the ruling party, the People Power Party, did not support the impeachment.

However, the opposition party has expressed intentions to push for impeachment again, and with public opinion against President Yoon, both the presidential office and the People Power Party are said to be far from reassured.

On the same day, the National Assembly held a plenary session in the afternoon to vote on the impeachment motion against President Yoon, but the vote was invalid due to a lack of quorum. Only 195 members attended the vote, falling short of the required 200 seats. Speaker Woo Won-shik apologized to the public on behalf of the National Assembly immediately after the vote was nullified.

Yoon's Ordeal Between Hell and Heaven... Temporarily Overcomes Impeachment Crisis

Over the past five days, President Yoon experienced a tense period oscillating between heaven and hell.

On the evening of the 3rd, around 10:23 PM, President Yoon announced an emergency statement at the Yongsan Presidential Office, declaring martial law. This shocked not only politicians including ruling party members but also most aides at Yongsan, who were unaware of the decision beforehand.

Immediately after, President Yoon appointed Army Chief of Staff Park An-soo, a graduate of the Korea Military Academy, as the martial law commander, and around 11 PM, the martial law command issued a proclamation. The proclamation included bans on political activities such as the National Assembly, control over the press and publications, and prohibitions on strikes and assemblies.

President Yoon justified the declaration of martial law by citing the opposition parties' repeated attempts to impeach bureaucrats and budget cuts, stating he would "eradicate shameless pro-North anti-state forces at once and protect the free constitutional order."

President Yoon Suk-yeol declared martial law on the night of the 3rd, and in the early morning of the 4th, martial law troops are attempting to enter the main building of the National Assembly. Photo by Kim Hyun-min

Around midnight, armed martial law troops entered the National Assembly grounds. Among them were some of South Korea's elite units, including the 707 Special Mission Group, the 1st Airborne Special Forces Brigade, and the Capital Defense Command Military Police Special Mission Unit. The 3rd Airborne Special Forces Brigade under the Special Warfare Command and investigators from the Counterintelligence Command were deployed to the National Election Commission and other locations.

However, the atmosphere reversed when the National Assembly convened a plenary session around 1 AM on the 4th and passed a resolution demanding the lifting of martial law with unanimous approval from all 190 members present. The martial law troops soon withdrew, and President Yoon declared the lifting of martial law through an emergency statement around 4:30 AM.

Martial law, declared for the first time in 45 years since the death of former President Park Chung-hee in October 1979, sparked renewed online interest in the film 'Seoul Spring,' which features the line "If it fails, it's treason; if it succeeds, it's revolution."

President Yoon Suk-yeol is greeting after delivering a national address at the Presidential Office building in Yongsan, Seoul, on the 7th. Photo by Yonhap News.

Presidential Office's Full-Scale Defense Against Impeachment... Han Dong-hoon 'Back and Forth'

Following the lifting of martial law, the momentum for impeachment surged rapidly.

Until then, the opposition had focused more on a special investigation law for First Lady Kim Keon-hee than on President Yoon's impeachment, but with the martial law incident providing grounds for impeachment, the focus shifted toward the president's impeachment.

Members from six opposition parties?the Democratic Party, the People's Innovation Party, the Reform New Party, the Progressive Party, the Basic Income Party, and the Social Democratic Party?totaling 190 lawmakers, along with independent lawmaker Kim Jong-min, proposed an impeachment motion against President Yoon, which was reported to the National Assembly plenary session on the 5th.

The impeachment motion requires approval by two-thirds (200 members) of the total National Assembly membership. The opposition holds 192 seats, so the key was whether at least eight members of the People Power Party would defect. Because of this, the pro-Han faction (pro-Han Dong-hoon) within the ruling party, which had conflicts with President Yoon, was seen as holding the casting vote.

Representative Han changed his stance several times over two days, influencing the political impeachment trend. Initially, Han said, "I will try to prevent the passage of the impeachment motion," but suddenly the day before, he indicated support by stating, "I believe a prompt suspension of duties is necessary."

After Han hinted at supporting impeachment, the atmosphere at the Yongsan Presidential Office froze. The previous afternoon, there were reports that President Yoon would either make a public statement or visit the National Assembly to persuade lawmakers directly, but the presidential office denied these rumors, causing confusion.

President Yoon urgently met with Representative Han and Floor Leader Choo Kyung-ho separately the day before, and Chief of Staff Jeong Jin-seok and Yongsan aides met with Party Leader Park Jeong-ha's secretary to discuss ways to manage the situation, working busily behind the scenes to prevent impeachment.

On the morning of the day, President Yoon apologized for the martial law incident in a live national address. This suggested he judged that silence alone would not prevent impeachment. Notably, President Yoon said, "I will entrust the party with future political stability measures, including my term," implying he might accept stepping back from the frontline.

Following this, Representative Han reverted to opposing impeachment, and the People Power Party decided at a party meeting before the vote to reject both the impeachment motion against President Yoon and the special investigation law for First Lady Kim Keon-hee as party policy.

On the morning of the 7th, President Yoon Suk-yeol issued a public apology statement regarding the martial law incident. In the afternoon of the same day, citizens of Daejeon attended a rally calling for President Yoon's resignation at Eunhasu Intersection in Seo-gu, holding placards. Photo by Yonhap News

Democratic Party Vows to Continue Until Impeachment Passes... Public Opinion Worsens Seriously

Although the opposition's first impeachment attempt failed, it is said to be too early for the ruling party to feel secure.

On the same day, rallies demanding the president's resignation were held across the country, including Seoul. In Yeouido, where the National Assembly is located, an enormous crowd reminiscent of the candlelight protests during former President Park Geun-hye's impeachment gathered, causing trains on Line 9 to pass through National Assembly Station and Yeouido Station without stopping.

The Democratic Party plans to convene an extraordinary session immediately after the regular session ends on the 11th to push for impeachment again. Democratic Party leader Lee Jae-myung said, "(The impeachment motion) will be pursued repeatedly until it passes," adding, "We will prove to the public through history how anti-national and anti-state the People Power Party is."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.