South Korea's parliament moved to impeach President Yoon Suk Yeol after he declared martial law and sent troops into the streets on Tuesday night.
For several hours, armed forces with helicopters and armored vehicles surrounded the parliament. Lawmakers had to climb walls to get into the building and used fire extinguishers to hold off the troops.
The lawmakers who were able to reenter the building rejected Yoon's martial law declaration with a 190-0 vote. Eighteen lawmakers from Yoon's party also voted against the declaration. The vote forced Yoon to lift martial law about six hours after it began.
Opposition parties then began the process of impeachment.
Impeachment is a way for lawmakers to charge a public official with a crime while they are in office. Impeaching Yoon requires the support of two-thirds of the National Assembly and at least six of the nine Constitutional Court justices. The liberal opposition Democratic Party holds a majority in the 300-seat parliament and has called for Yoon's resignation.
A vote on the impeachment motion could be held as early as Friday, Democratic Party lawmaker Kim Yong-min said.
Yoon said there was a plan to rebel
Yoon ordered martial law without warning in a speech late Tuesday. He promised to remove "anti-state" forces he said were planning to rebel. He accused the main opposition parties of supporting North Korea.
Yoon gave no direct evidence when he pointed to North Korea as a threatening force. Yoon has long held that a hard line is the only way to stop the North from following through on its nuclear threats against the South.
In the late 1980s, several South Korean strongmen spoke of the threat from the North when struggling to control protesters and political opponents in the South.
As president, Yoon has struggled to get his proposals through the opposition-controlled parliament. At the same time, Yoon and his wife have faced charges of corruption.
What is martial law?
South Korea's constitution gives the president power to use the military to keep order in "wartime, war-like situations or other comparable national emergency states.” That can include suspending civil rights and temporarily limiting the powers of the courts and government agencies.
But it also gives the National Assembly power to lift the declaration with a majority vote.
Some experts say the way Yoon declared martial law went far beyond his lawful powers. The constitution does not permit a president to use the military to suspend parliament. And many question whether the country really faces a situation comparable to war.
The opposition said Yoon's actions were “illegal and unconstitutional.” The sudden declaration was also opposed by the leader of Yoon's own conservative party. Han Dong-hoon called the decision wrong and promised to "stop it with the people."
South Korea became a democracy only in the late 1980s, and military intervention in civilian affairs is still a sensitive subject. South Koreans were in shock with the actions. And many expressed surprise and worry on social media over Yoon's announcement.
I’m Jill Robbins.
