Impeachment motion rejected due to ruling party's absence

Speaker Woo Won-sik: "I apologize to the people on behalf of the National Assembly" on the rejection

The impeachment motion was automatically scrapped on the 7th at the National Assembly plenary session due to a failure to reach the quorum and a vote failure. Due to the People Power Party lawmakers leaving, the number of members present was not 200, so the votes could not even be counted. This is the sixth time in constitutional history that a vote failed. At 9:20 p.m. that day, the Speaker of the National Assembly declared the end of voting and announced that the impeachment motion against the President (Yoon Seok-yeol) was automatically scrapped due to failure to vote in accordance with the National Assembly Act. Secret balloting began at 6:17 p.m. that day, but Speaker Woo delayed declaring the end of voting and appealed to the People Power Party members who had not participated in the impeachment vote to participate. However, after about three hours of waiting, only 192 opposition lawmakers and three members of the People Power Party, Ahn Cheol-soo, Kim Ye-ji, and Kim Sang-wook, participated, failing to meet the 200-member quorum. The People Power Party decided to reject both the impeachment bill for President Yoon and the special prosecutor's bill for Kim Gun-hee at the general meeting held before the plenary session. After participating only in the re-vote on the special prosecutor's bill for Kim Gun-hee, 107 People Power Party members, excluding Ahn Cheol-soo, left the plenary session. The Democratic Party members called out the names of the ruling party members one by one and appealed to them to participate in the vote, and Kim Ye-ji and Kim Sang-wook returned to the plenary session to participate in the vote. However, Kim Sang-wook stated that he voted against it, saying, "I did not agree with the impeachment bill in accordance with the party's position." The Speaker of the National Assembly declared the meeting adjourned, saying, “It is very regrettable that no vote was held on such an important matter.” He added, “The failure to hold a vote on this matter means that even the democratic process of deciding whether to pass or fail a matter of national importance has not been judged. On behalf of the National Assembly, I apologize to the people.”

Citizens gathered at the rally: “We will not give up on impeachment” 

Democratic Party: “Re-pursuing impeachment” vs. People Power Party: “Orderly resignation”

When the impeachment motion was scrapped due to a lack of quorum, citizens gathered at the rally let out sighs. At around 6:20 p.m. that day, when National Assembly Speaker Woo Won-shik announced, “We will close the ballot box and open the ballot counting box,” citizens gathered in Yeouido, Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul, turned their gazes to the electronic billboard. When a caption appeared saying that the People Power Party lawmakers had finished their general meeting and were coming out, they chanted, “Vote!” However, when the National Assembly Speaker announced, “The number of votes is 195, which is less than the number of registered lawmakers who need to vote. Therefore, I declare that the vote on this agenda has not been completed,” screams of “Ah!” erupted. Citizens standing in front of the main gate of the National Assembly with dejected expressions that day were seen encouraging each other, saying, “Don’t give up,” and “Let’s come out next week too.” The Democratic Party announced that they will consider re-doing the impeachment motion on the 11th and putting it to a vote on the 14th. After the general meeting of lawmakers held at the National Assembly in Yeouido, Seoul, Democratic Party floor spokesperson Yoon Jong-gun responded to a reporter’s question about whether there are plans to reintroduce the impeachment motion against President Yoon on the 11th and hold a re-vote on the 14th, saying, “We haven’t set a specific date, but I think it will be roughly around that schedule.” He said, “We have decided on a general policy to continue the plenary session of the National Assembly even if we have to break up the extraordinary session into one-week units in relation to the impeachment motion against President Yoon,” and “We have decided to comprehensively review the special prosecution on the internal strife, including preparing for a general special prosecution as well as a permanent special prosecution.”

People Power Party leader Han Dong-hoon reiterated his promise for the president’s “orderly resignation” on the 7th, stating, “Until the president resigns, he will effectively be excluded from his duties.” Han met with reporters that day after the impeachment motion against the president was scrapped due to a failure to vote in the National Assembly, saying, “As the leader of the ruling party, I am deeply sorry to the people about the situation from the declaration of martial law to today.” He continued, “The People Power Party will push for the president’s orderly resignation in order to minimize confusion,” adding, “The president has already said that he will follow the party’s decision on his term. There will be no confusion.” He added, “The president will be effectively suspended from his duties until he resigns,” and “We will consult with the prime minister and the party to ensure that state affairs run smoothly. We will also faithfully exchange opinions with the opposition party.”