After his effort to impose martial law was struck down by a unanimous vote against it in parliament, South Korean president Yoon Suk Yeol now faces a general strike by workers and calls to resign.
The liberal opposition Democratic Party, which holds a majority in the 300-seat parliament, said Wednesday that its lawmakers decided to call on Yoon to quit immediately or they would take steps to impeach him.
"President Yoon Suk Yeol's martial law declaration was a clear violation of the constitution. It didn't abide by any requirements to declare it," the Democratic Party said in a statement. "His martial law declaration was originally invalid and a grave violation of the constitution. It was a grave act of rebellion and provides perfect grounds for his impeachment."
Impeaching him would require support from two-thirds of the parliament, or 200 of its 300 members. The Democratic Party and other small opposition parties together have 192 seats.
The vote against martial law was 190-0. Soldiers lurking around the parliament building disappeared after the vote, indicating that the military considered itself bound by it. South Korea's consitution specifies that "the president must oblige when the National Assembly demands the lifting of martial law with a majority vote." And here's South Korea' Confederation of Trade Unions:
President Yoon has revealed his anti-democratic dictatorship by resorting to this unconstitutional and extreme measure," the KCTU declared in a statement. "This marks the end of his regime. We, along with the people of this nation, will not stand by."
The union has framed the strike as a turning point in a larger movement to restore democratic governance, urging citizens to join forces against what they see as an authoritarian slide by the current administration.
