On December 4 (KST), six opposition parties—Democratic Party of Korea, Innovation Party, Reform Party, Progressive Party, Basic Income Party, and Social Democratic Party—submitted an impeachment motion against President Yoon Suk-yeol to the National Assembly.

Democratic Party lawmaker Kim Yong-min and Innovation Party lawmaker Shin Jang-sik filed the motion at 2:43 p.m. at the National Assembly Secretariat.

The motion bore the signatures of all 190 opposition lawmakers, excluding the ruling People Power Party members, and independent lawmaker Kim Jong-min.

The opposition bloc plans to have the motion presented at a plenary session on December 5, with voting scheduled for December 6-7.

Grounds for Impeachment
The motion alleges that President Yoon’s recent declaration of martial law violated constitutional and legal requirements, failing to meet necessary conditions for such an action. It cites violations of sovereignty, the principle of separation of powers, and suppression of constitutional freedoms.

Key points include:

Media, publishing, and assemblies were placed under martial law control, infringing on constitutional rights such as freedom of expression and peaceful assembly.
The motion accuses President Yoon of enacting martial law to evade impending investigations and special prosecution into alleged corruption involving himself and his family. It further claims that this action attempted to disable the National Assembly and undermine constitutional order by unlawfully mobilizing military and police forces.
Impeachment Process
If the impeachment motion is reported during a plenary session on December 5 at 12:01 a.m., it becomes eligible for a vote at 12:02 a.m. on December 6. The motion must be voted on within 24 to 72 hours after being reported.

To pass, the motion requires support from two-thirds of the 300-member National Assembly. Since the opposition bloc holds 192 seats (including independent Speaker Woo Won-shik and independent lawmaker Kim Jong-min), at least eight People Power Party lawmakers would need to vote in favor for the motion to succeed.

The vote will be conducted as a secret ballot.

Opposition Plans
Reform Party lawmaker Chun Ha-ram noted that Innovation Party leader Lee Jun-seok has confirmed support from at least six ruling party lawmakers and is working to persuade additional members.

In case the motion fails, the opposition has indicated that they will reconvene for an extraordinary session after the regular session ends on December 10 to reintroduce the impeachment motion.

(Source: Yonhap News)