South Korean President Yoon Faces Impeachment Amid Martial Law Controversy—All About It

President Yoon Suk Yeol of South Korea is under the threat of impeachment, as he is being accused by opposition legislators of breaching his constitutional responsibilities and committing an act comparable to treason by imposing martial law on Tuesday (3 December).

Yoon revoked the martial law early Wednesday morning, mere hours after his unsuccessful attempt to suppress political activities and control the media was turned down by the opposition-dominated Parliament.

The Constitution outlines the process for presidential impeachment, requiring a two-thirds majority vote from the single-chamber parliament to pass an impeachment motion against the president or other high-ranking public officials if they "have violated the Constitution or any law in the performance of official duties."

The Constitutional Court is responsible for conducting a trial to assess the validity of an impeachment motion, where it evaluates evidence from parliament to ascertain if the president has broken the law.

Then the question arises as to whether the Opposition have enough votes.

Currently, the main opposition Democratic Party, which has pledged to impeach Yoon, holds sway in the parliament.

This party, along with other minor parties, has 192 seats, falling slightly short of the 200 needed to impeach the president.

There has been strong opposition to Yoon's declaration of martial law from some members of his own ruling People Power Party, but it remains uncertain whether, or how many of them, will side with the opposition when the motion is put to vote.

Calls for Yoon's impeachment and special inquiries into a scandal involving his wife were already underway.

During this period, the Prime Minister assumes the role of acting leader.

The Constitutional Court takes in verbal presentations from both the chair of the parliamentary justice committee and the public official or their representative.

The Court is given a maximum of six months to either affirm the impeachment through a vote of six out of the nine justices, or dismiss the proposal.

In the event that the President is expelled from their position, a fresh presidential election is required to take place within a 60-day period.

Should Yoon choose to resign, the prime minister would assume the role in an interim manner, and a fresh election would be conducted within a span of 60 days.

In May 2017, a presidential election took place following the Constitutional Court's affirmation of the impeachment of then-President Park Geun-hye.

Park, the daughter of assassinated former President Park Chung-hee, was the first democratically elected leader to be removed from office.

She was accused of conspiring with a close associate in a corruption scandal and misusing her presidential powers.

Her impeachment was voted for by the Parliament in December 2016, even receiving support from some members of her own conservative party.