Second martial law impeachment vote looms for South Korea’s Yoon

SECOND TRY

Two hundred votes are needed for the impeachment motion to pass, meaning opposition lawmakers must convince eight ruling party colleagues to defect.

Two ruling party lawmakers supported the motion last week.

And as of Friday noon, seven ruling party lawmakers have pledged to support impeachment – leaving the vote on a knife edge.

But members of the opposition are confident they will get the votes.

Lawmaker Kim Min-seok said Friday he was “99 per cent” sure the impeachment will pass.

Yoon on Thursday vowed to “fight to the end”, blaming the opposition party for paralysing the government and claiming a North Korean hack into the election commission made his party’s crushing defeat in an April parliamentary election questionable.

In a lengthy televised address, Yoon said the opposition was “dancing the sword dance of madness” by trying to drag a democratically elected president from power.

“I will fight to the end,” he said in a lengthy address broadcast on television. “Whether they impeach me or investigate me, I will face it all squarely.”

Lee called Yoon’s remarks “a declaration of war” against the people. “It proved that impeachment is the fastest and the most effect way to end the confusion”, he said.

He also implored the PPP to support the president’s removal from office and said it was the best way to restore order in the country. 

“What the lawmakers must protect is neither Yoon nor the ruling People Power Party but the lives of the people wailing out in the freezing streets,” Lee said.

“Please join in supporting the impeachment vote tomorrow. History will remember and record your choice.”