Vote to impeach South Korean president fails as ruling party walks out

A plan by the parliament to impeach President Yoon Suk Yeol of South Korea has failed as members of the ruling party staged a walkout from the assembly.

This occurred a few hours after the president apologized.

The walkout left the assembly with too few members to pass the measure.

The impeachment proceeding was triggered by President Yeol’s attempt to impose martial law after a boycott from members of his party.

As parliament debated the motion, almost all of the ruling party’s members left the hall, casting doubt on the chances of reaching the threshold for the bill to pass.

The opposition was left waiting for those from the ruling People Power Party (PPP) who left to join the vote, a day after its leader said the president should be suspended.

To pass, the bill needed support from two-thirds of the 300-member assembly, meaning the opposition needed at least eight from the PPP to side with them.

But when the first votes were cast, all but one of the PPP’s members of parliament staged a walkout to shouts of anger from the opposition, Sky News reported.

PPP politician Shin Dong-uk claimed his party did not try to prevent its members from voting.

The party said it would find a “more orderly, responsible” way to resolve the crisis than impeachment of the president.

It followed a broadcast on Saturday morning in which President Yoon Suk Yeol apologised for the “anxiety” and “inconvenience” caused by his declaration of martial law, which was born of “desperation” and only lasted a few hours.

“I am very sorry, I sincerely apologise to the people who must have been very surprised,” he said, adding he would not avoid legal charges and there would be no second martial law.