Who are the ruling party lawmakers in South Korea who voted on Yoon’s impeachment?
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People Power Party lawmaker Ahn Cheol-soo casting his vote on the impeachment motion at the National Assembly in Seoul on Dec 7.
PHOTO: AFP
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SEOUL – In a dramatic turn of events during the Dec 7 National Assembly vote on President Yoon Suk Yeol’s impeachment motion, all but one member of the ruling People Power Party vacated the chamber in a boycott
Only Mr Ahn Cheol-soo remained to cast a vote.
However, two more lawmakers from the ruling party – Ms Kim Yea-ji and Mr Kim Sang-wook – chose to return and cast their votes.
Mr Ahn Cheol-soo, a three-time presidential candidate, had expressed support for the impeachment motion before the vote, urging Mr Yoon to resign for his botched attempt to impose martial law.
A former physician, software entrepreneur, and academic, Mr Ahn made his first official entry into politics as an independent candidate in the 2012 South Korean presidential election.
He then founded the centrist People’s Party in 2016. This later merged with the People Power Party, aligning with conservative politics but maintaining an independent streak.
Mr Ahn also ran in the 2018 and 2021 elections for mayor of Seoul.
Ms Kim Yea-ji, South Korea’s first visually impaired lawmaker, is a disability rights advocate and a member of the People Power Party’s proportional representation bloc.
Before entering politics, she was an accomplished pianist and educator, earning acclaim for her advocacy for expanding opportunities for people with disabilities.
Ms Kim returned to vote almost immediately after leaving the chamber.
Returning almost an hour after the impeachment voting was initiated, Representative Kim Sang-wook cast his vote, getting applause from the opposition party lawmakers. However, his vote turned out to be a vote against the impeachment.
Mr Kim is a South Korean attorney and politician affiliated with the People Power Party. After passing the inaugural bar exam in 2012, Mr Kim established his legal career in Ulsan, founding a law firm.
During the 2024 general elections, he was elected as the representative for Ulsan’s Nam-gu A constituency.
The impeachment vote requires a two-thirds majority, or 200 of 300 legislators, to pass. The opposition parties, led by the Democratic Party, control 192 seats.
The motion on Dec 7 needed eight more votes from ruling party lawmakers to meet the 200-vote quorum. But it fell short with 195 votes – 194 for, and one against - which allowed President Yoon to narrowly escape impeachment.
