South Korea’s ruling political party, the People Power Party (PPP), has rallied its support towards the impeachment of the unpopular and controversial President Yoon Suk Yeol.
President Yoon Suk Yeol faces an inevitable impeachment over his unfortunate decision to declare martial law in the Asian country, which sparked a political crisis and widespread public criticism in the country.
The People Power Party (PPP), initially reluctant to support the impeachment, anticipating Yoon’s voluntary resignation from office, was disappointed.
The party’s leader, Han Dong-hoon, revealed that attempts to persuade him had ‘gained no progress’ and were not showing any sign of success.
“We tried to find a better way than impeachment, but that other way is unattainable. Suspending the president from his duties through impeachment is the only way for now to defend democracy and the republic,” Han Dong-hoon said.
The party’s announcement came hours after Yoon delivered his defiant speech in the morning of Thursday, December 12, 2024, in which he attempted to justify his hugely controversial martial law decision and rejected the growing calls from across the country for him to step aside from his presidential duties.
Yoon survived an impeachment bid last week on Saturday, December 1, when the PPP members boycotted the voting, but the party president has revealed that lawmakers are now free to vote according to their “belief and conscience” in what he termed as “the vote for the country and the people.”.
Meanwhile, the main opposition, the Democratic Party, is preparing a fresh impeachment motion against Yoon, with the hearing and voting slated for Saturday, December 12, 2024.
With the PPP’s decision to back the impeachment motion, it has dramatically increased the pressure on Yoon and the likelihood that the next impeachment attempt will be successful.
However, in a surprise televised address on Thursday morning, Yoon said that his attempt to declare martial law was a legal decision to “prevent the collapse” of democracy and counter the opposition’s sympathy with North Korea’s provocative behavior.
He has also vowed that he would not step down and instead will “fight to the end” ahead of a second motion in parliament to impeach him.
