South Korea opposition chief says ousting Yoon will be difficult

South Korea’s main opposition leader said it might be difficult to garner enough support from the ruling party to impeach President Yoon Suk Yeol this week over his declaration of martial law. In an interview with Bloomberg on Dec 5, Democratic Party leader Lee Jae-myung said the situation remains in a “state of flux” ahead of a parliamentary vote set for the next few days on impeaching Mr Yoon. While Mr Lee’s party controls a majority in the legislative body, it needs a minimum of eight votes from Mr Yoon’s People Power Party to move forward the motion to oust the President, Bloomberg reports.

“The problem is that while many of the ruling party lawmakers have the intention, they would need to go against the party line, which puts them in a bit of a difficult situation,” Mr Lee said in his office at the National Assembly building in Seoul, where the late-night drama played out earlier this week.

Still, Mr Lee said his party would continue to seek Mr Yoon’s ouster even if he survives the initial impeachment vote. It has accused the President of treason following a failed bid to impose martial law, a move that blindsided the nation, his own party and allies like the US.

“He will be impeached – the only question is whether he will be ousted the day after tomorrow, a week after, or a month or three later,” Mr Lee said.

South Korea’s ruling party has said it will prevent the impeachment motion from passing, even as it looks to distance itself from Mr Yoon. The president also replaced his defense minister, who took “full responsibility” for the chaos.

Recalling the events from the night of Dec 3, Mr Lee said he jumped over a one-metre fence to get inside the National Assembly, which was blocked by dozens of armed troops after the martial law decree. After lawmakers voted down the measure, Mr Yoon rescinded the order around 4.30am (3.30am, Singapore time) on Dec 4.

“Yoon made a dent to South Korea’s reputation through this abnormal and incomprehensible behavior,” Mr Lee said.

Mr Lee, 60, narrowly lost to Mr Yoon in the 2022 presidential election. A landslide win for the Democratic Party in April parliamentary elections gave Mr Lee momentum for another run for the presidency, but he is also facing the risk of being excluded from political life after a court convicted him of violating election laws in November.