Late Tuesday, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol Yoon declared martial law, stating his intention to rebuild and protect democracy by eliminating two significant anti-government forces: opposition parties and pro-North Korean sympathizers. However, his declaration of martial law lasted only about six hours, as a bipartisan parliamentary vote swiftly rejected it.

All opposition parties, which hold the majority in Congress, have proposed an impeachment indictment against Yoon and plan to put it to a vote as soon as possible. They allege that the president’s declaration of martial law violated the people’s sovereignty and disrupted the separation of powers.

To pass the articles of impeachment, the opposition requires eight votes from the ruling party members who remain loyal to the president. Given the president’s political missteps, the opposition will likely find enough support to advance the impeachment articles to the Constitutional Court of Korea.

Once the Constitutional Court receives the impeachment case, it must decide within 180 days. However, due to ongoing political conflicts, the court is currently understaffed, with only six of the nine justices in place. A total of seven positive votes is needed to decide the impeachment case. Yoon believes he can evade impeachment by exploiting this staff shortage.

While the Constitutional Court is unable to render a judgment, Yoon will attempt to find a way to get away........

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