The National Assembly convened at 5 p.m. on Dec. 7 to vote on an impeachment motion against President Yoon Suk-yeol. Results are expected around 7 p.m., but the motion’s fate remains uncertain as lawmakers from the ruling People Power Party (PPP) began leaving the chamber, raising the possibility of a boycott.

For the impeachment motion to pass, at least two-thirds (200 votes) of the 300-member National Assembly must approve it. If PPP lawmakers refuse to participate, the motion cannot proceed and will automatically fail.

Seats are left empty as many ruling People Power Party lawmakers leave the chamber following the vote on the re-vote of the special investigation bill concerning First Lady Kim Keon-hee during a National Assembly plenary session in Seoul on Dec. 7, 2024./Yonhap News

The session unfolded with the following agenda:

  • Reporting on the impeachment motion against Interior and Safety Minister Lee Sang-min, submitted earlier in the day.
  • Re-voting on a special investigation bill concerning First Lady Kim Keon-hee, which was returned to the National Assembly after President Yoon exercised his veto.
  • Voting on the impeachment motion against President Yoon.

The Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) announced earlier in the day that it had submitted the impeachment motion against Minister Lee at 10:30 a.m. According to parliamentary rules, the motion must be reported at the first plenary session after its submission and voted on within 24 to 72 hours.

Justice Minister Park Sung-jae defended President Yoon’s veto of the First Lady’s special investigation bill, citing insufficient measures to address constitutional concerns. Overriding a veto requires more than half of lawmakers to be present and approval from two-thirds of those in attendance. If all 108 PPP lawmakers participate and vote against the bill, it will fail.

The re-vote on the investigation bill was conducted via secret written ballots, with lawmakers marking “yes” (可) or “no” (否) in Korean or Chinese characters. Any errors in writing result in invalid votes. Ballots were counted under the supervision of the ballot inspection committee, a process that typically takes about an hour.

Earlier in the day, all 300 lawmakers, including 108 from the PPP and 170 from the DPK, participated in the re-vote on the investigation bill. However, as the session progressed, many PPP lawmakers began leaving the chamber, casting doubt on whether the impeachment vote could proceed.

National Assembly Speaker Woo Won-shik strikes the gavel to declare the opening of a plenary session at the National Assembly in Yeouido, Seoul, on Dec. 7, 2024./Newsis