South Korean president’s impeachment fails after ruling party lawmakers walk out
South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol apologized on Saturday for declaring martial law but did not say he would resign as he faces an impeachment vote.
SEOUL, South Korea — A plan to impeach South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol over his short-lived declaration of martial law has failed after members of his governing party left parliament on Saturday ahead of the planned vote.
Lawmakers from the People Power Party (PPP) were shouted and cursed at as they left en masse after voting on a separate motion, leaving the 192 opposition lawmakers eight votes short of the two-thirds majority needed for the impeachment motion to succeed.
Opposition lawmakers had said that if the impeachment motion didn't pass they would come back to it on Wednesday, amid simmering public anger over Yoon’s bewildering order, which plunged the East Asian democracy and key U.S. ally into chaos.
Earlier Saturday, Yoon apologized for his actions in a brief nationally televised address, saying they “stemmed from the urgency” he felt as president but “caused anxiety and inconvenience to the public.”
An image of South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol is raised during a candlelight rally in Seoul on Thursday.Anthony Wallace / AFP - Getty Images“I deeply regret this and sincerely apologize to the citizens who were alarmed,” he said.
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