South Korea's President Yoon Suk-yeol has dropped a bombshell! 💥 On Saturday, he publicly apologized for declaring martial law earlier this week, saying it was a move made out of \"desperation as president.\" 😓
In a brief televised address, Yoon promised he wouldn't try to impose martial law again. He added that he won't dodge any legal or political consequences and will let his party decide his future. 🗳️
But here's where things get intense! Opposition parties, holding a hefty 192 seats in the National Assembly, are gearing up for an impeachment vote scheduled at 5:00 p.m. local time (0800 GMT) on Saturday. ⏱️
To impeach the president, they need two-thirds of the 300-member parliament to say \"yes\"—that's at least eight votes from the ruling party. Can they pull it off? 🤔
Ruling People Power Party (PPP) leader Han Dong-hoon threw fuel on the fire by telling reporters that Yoon's early resignation might be inevitable and that he's \"no longer in a position to execute his duty.\" He didn't say whether the PPP would back the impeachment, but just two days ago, Han said they opposed it! Talk about a plot twist! 😲
Experts think this flip-flop shows major cracks within the ruling party, making it more likely that parliament will give the green light to impeachment. Some PPP lawmakers might be leaning towards supporting it, while senior members push back, wanting to keep the party united and protect their leadership status. ⚖️
\"Whether to impeach Yoon Suk-yeol is about the party's overall interests,\" said Xiang Haoyu, a researcher at the Asia-Pacific Institute of the China Institute of International Studies, speaking to CMG. \"Calls for Yoon to step down reflect the ruling party's effort to distance itself from the president and minimize damage to their image.\"
Since the impeachment vote will be secret, even if the PPP officially opposes it, they can't control how members vote. If just eight or more ruling party lawmakers support the motion, it's game over for Yoon. 🎯
\"The threshold isn't actually very high,\" Xiang noted. \"Overall, the chance that the National Assembly passes the impeachment motion against Yoon is clearly increasing.\" 📈
Stay tuned, folks! South Korea's political scene is heating up, and anything could happen next! 🔥
Reference(s):
cgtn.com
