Impeachment of Yoon Suk Yeol

Impeachment of Yoon Suk Yeol
Speaker of the National Assembly Woo Won-shik signing the article of impeachment
Accused	Yoon Suk Yeol (President of South Korea)
Date	Since initial motion: 4 December 2024 – present (1 month, 3 weeks and 1 day) Impeachment: 14 December 2024 (6 weeks ago; awaiting court decision on removal from office or restoration)
Charges	Violation of principle of popular sovereignty[1] Obstruction of the exercise of rights Obstruction of the performance of official duties Abuse of power Sedition
Cause	Declaration of martial law
National Assembly votes
First impeachment motion 7 December 2024
Present	195 / 300 (65%)
Not voting	105 / 300 (35%)
Result	Votes not counted due to failure to reach quorum amid PPP boycott; impeachment unsuccessful
Second impeachment motion 14 December 2024
Votes in favor	204 / 300 (68%)
Votes against	85 / 300 (28%)
Result	Impeachment successful, currently being processed Yoon's presidential powers and duties are suspended for the duration of the impeachment trial Prime Minister Han Duck-soo becomes acting president
Decision by Constitutional Court of Korea
Result	Pending

On 14 December 2024, Yoon Suk Yeol, the president of South Korea, was impeached by the National Assembly. This action came in response to Yoon's declaration of martial law on 3 December 2024, which was overturned by the National Assembly and officially withdrawn six hours later on 4 December 2024.

Former prime minister Han Duck-soo assumed the role of acting president pending the Constitutional Court's decision on whether to remove Yoon from office. An earlier impeachment motion was put to a parliamentary vote on 7 December 2024 but failed because the number of attending legislators did not meet the quorum required for its passage, as members of the ruling People Power Party (PPP) boycotted the vote.

The motion marks the third impeachment of a South Korean president: Roh Moo-hyun was impeached in 2004 but acquitted by the Constitutional Court, while Park Geun-hye was impeached in 2016 and subsequently convicted and removed from office in 2017 after the Constitutional Court's confirmation.

Opinion polling on the Yoon Suk Yeol presidency throughout 2024 was increasingly negative. The declaration of martial law hardened these views, with many surveyed in South Korea believing Yoon should resign voluntarily or that he should be formally removed from office. Hundreds of thousands attended protests against government actions throughout December.