Closing summary
The time in Seoul is 12.20am. Here is a round-up of the day’s events:
A motion to impeach South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol over his ill-fated declaration of martial law this week has failed after members of his party boycotted the vote. The walkout meant the national assembly did not have the required number of votes – 200 - to begin the process of forcing out the embattled Yoon. “With a total of 195 votes, the number of members who voted did not reach the required two-thirds majority of the total members,” the national assembly speaker, Woo Won-shik, said. “Therefore, I declare that the vote on this matter is not valid.”
South Korea’s ruling party chief Han Dong-hoon said on Saturday the party and president Yoon Suk Yeol will work together to seek an orderly path for Yoon to leave office, as he has effectively agreed to the plan.
South Korea’s opposition Democratic Party will propose a new impeachment bill against president Yoon Suk Yeol on 11 December, which will be put on vote on 14 December, local Yonhap News is reporting. But Yoon’s People Power Party said it would find a “more orderly, responsible” way to resolve the crisis than impeachment of the president.
As the plenary session got under way in South Korea’s national assembly, some members of the ruling People Power Party walked out of chamber after voting on the special counsel appointment in the first lady’s case. It appears they are boycotting the upcoming impeachment vote, BBC News reports. Some opposition MPs shouted at the ruling party lawmakers: “Traitors, go back in”.
One of the first PPP lawmakers to publicly say he would support the motion has been speaking to BBC Korean about why he changed his mind. But today, he joined his ruling party colleagues in walking out of the parliament chamber ahead of the vote. “I was determined to agree to the impeachment bill until yesterday, because there was no word from the president’s office nor public apology for martial law or any follow-up measures,” Yoon told BBC Korean. “However, I heard that he was announcing an apology to the public today.”
The special counsel bill on the first lady did not pass and appeared to have failed by just two votes. It had 198 votes in favour but needed 200 to pass, BBC News reports. The bill had addressed her alleged involvement in a stock manipulation scheme, as well as alleged interference in election nominations through a power broker.
That’s it from me, Tom Ambrose, and indeed the South Korea crisis live blog. Thanks for following along.
South Korea ruling party chief says it will seek orderly path for Yoon to leave office
South Korea’s ruling party chief Han Dong-hoon said on Saturday the party and president Yoon Suk Yeol will work together to seek an orderly path for Yoon to leave office, as he has effectively agreed to the plan.
