Yoon survives impeachment but political future uncertain

Yonhap, Philippine News Agency

Although Yoon avoided impeachment, his ill-fated decision to declare martial law raised serious questions about his ability to govern for the remaining half of his single, five-year term. (File Photo: 윤석열/Facebook)

SEOUL – President Yoon Suk Yeol survived impeachment Saturday over his short-lived martial law declaration.

However, his political future remains precarious amid growing pressure for his resignation and looming investigations.

The National Assembly voted on an opposition-led motion to impeach Yoon for his botched martial law decree, but almost all lawmakers from Yoon’s ruling People Power Party (PPP) boycotted the vote, despite large-scale protests outside the parliament.

The outcome came hours after Yoon made a public apology for his martial law declaration, saying he would wait for the his party’s decision about his term and stabilization of state affairs.

The PPP lawmakers mostly stood with the party stance to avoid a repeat of a similar crisis following the 2016 impeachment of then President Park Geun-hye, which led to the divide of the conservative party and a liberal victory in a snap presidential election in 2017.

Although Yoon avoided impeachment, his ill-fated decision to declare martial law raised serious questions about his ability to govern for the remaining half of his single, five-year term.

Now, the embattled president faces legal risks and renewed attempts to force him out of office as the main opposition Democratic Party (DP) said it will table the impeachment motion again next week.

On Saturday, hundreds of thousands of people gathered in front of the National Assembly, demanding his ouster.

Prosecutors, the police and the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials have all launched probes into Yoon and senior officials involved in the martial law decree, seeking to press charges of insurrection and abuse of power, among others. (Yonhap)