Move to impeach South Korea's Yoon in limbo after ruling party walkout

Seoul, South Korea - A vote to impeach South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol over his brief imposition of martial law was in limbo on Saturday, as members of his party walked out and the opposition called on them to return and vote.

While lawmakers debated the motion, introduced by the main opposition Democratic Party, only a single member of Yoon's People Power Party (PPP) remained in his seat while a couple of others returned during voting, casting doubt over whether the measure would have enough votes to pass.

The lull was an odd counterpoint to the shouts and cursing in parliament that had preceded the vote, held four days after Yoon plunged Asia's fourth-largest economy and key U.S. military ally into its greatest political crisis in decades, threatening to shatter South Korea's reputation as a democratic success story.

The opposition needs at least eight votes from the PPP to reach the needed two-thirds majority. As PPP lawmakers departed after casting votes on a separate motion to appoint a special prosecutor in investigate the first lady, some people shouted and cursed them.

When debate began on the impeachment motion, opposition lawmakers recited the names of the PPP members who had left.

After voting began, National Assembly Speaker Woo Won-shik called on PPP members to return as opposition lawmakers settled in. It was unclear how long they planned to wait, but the secretary of parliament said they had until 12:48 a.m. on Sunday (1548 GMT on Saturday) to wrap up the vote.

One of the PPP members who returned told reporters he had voted against the impeachment motion as he did not agree with the bill, but still thought Yoon was not qualified to be president.

Opposition leaders have said they would revisit the impeachment motion on Wednesday if it failed the first time.

In the morning, Yoon apologised the nation for his attempt to impose martial law but did not resign, defying intense pressure to step down even from some in his ruling party.

Yoon said he would not seek to avoid legal and political responsibility for his decision to declare martial law for the first time in South Korea in 44 years. He said the decision was born of desperation.

Yoon 'very sorry'

Saturday's televised speech was the embattled leader's first public appearance since he rescinded the martial law order six hours after declaring it, when parliament defied military and police cordons to vote unanimously against his decree.

"I leave it up to my party to take steps to stabilise the political situation in the future, including the issue of my term in office," Yoon said in the address to the nation, promising there would be no second attempt to impose martial law.

Standing in front of the South Korean flag, Yoon bowed after he finished his brief remarks, staring solemnly into the camera for a moment.

Han Dong-hoon, leader of Yoon's ruling party, said after the address that the president was no longer in a position to carry out his public duties and his resignation was now unavoidable.

On Friday Han said Yoon was a danger to the country and needed to be removed from power, increasing the pressure on Yoon to quit even though PPP members later reaffirmed a formal opposition to his impeachment.

If Yoon leaves office before his single five-year term ends in May 2027, the constitution requires a presidential election to be held within 60 days upon his departure.

Martial law has been declared more than a dozen times since South Korea was established as a republic in 1948, the last time in 1980.

Martial law shockwaves

Yoon shocked the nation late on Tuesday when he gave the military sweeping emergency powers in order to combat unspecified threats from "North Korean communist forces", and "to eradicate the shameless pro-North anti-state forces".

He went on to accuse the National Assembly of launching an unprecedented number of impeachment efforts against members of his administration, effectively paralysing key operations, and of handling the budget in a way that undermined the fundamental functions of the government, including public safety.

Yoon has been dogged by personal scandals and strife, an unyielding opposition and rifts within his own party. Once regarded as a tough political survivor he has become increasingly isolated.

The martial law declaration sent shockwaves around the world and drew rare criticism from senior American officials who had previously praised Yoon as a champion of democracy in Asia. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin scrapped plans to travel to South Korea, two U.S. officials told Reuters on Thursday.

Some PPP members urged Yoon to resign before Saturday's vote, saying they did not want a repeat of the 2016 impeachment of then-President Park Geun-hye, who left office after months of candle-lit protests over an influence-peddling scandal. Her downfall triggered the implosion of the party and a victory by liberals in presidential and general elections.

In scenes reminiscent of those protests, thousands of demonstrators holding candles assembled outside parliament on Friday and Saturday nights, demanding Yoon's impeachment.

Protester Choi Yong-Ho, 60, said he was furious at the prospect that the impeachment bill may not succeed, but vowed to keep coming to future protests.

“We have to make our voices heard,” he said.

If Yoon is impeached, a trial by the Constitutional Court would follow. The court can confirm an impeachment motion with a vote by six of the nine justices. The court currently only has six sitting judges, and it is unclear whether it would take on the case without at least seven.

In 2017, the court took three months to remove then-President Park from office.

Prosecutors, the police and the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials have all launched probes into Yoon and senior officials involved in the martial law decree, seeking to pursue charges of insurrection and abuse of power, among others.

The officials face potential charges of insurrection, abuse of authority and obstructing other people from exercising their rights. If convicted, the crime of leading an insurrection is punishable by death or life imprisonment, with or without prison labour.

(Reporting by Cynthia Kim, Ju-min Park, Joyce Lee, Eduardo Baptista, Jack Kim, Josh Smith, and Hyunsu Yim; Editing by Michael Perry and William Mallard)