South Korean president risks life in prison or death penalty if guilty of treason

euronews (in English)

South Korea's opposition has initiated impeachment proceedings against President Yoon Suk-yeol over his martial law declaration. If impeached, Yoon could face trial for high treason which is publishable by life imprisonment or death.

Transcript

00:00South Korea's president, Yeon Suk-kyo, replaced his defense minister, Kim Jong-un, as opposition

00:05parties moved to impeach both men over the short-lived martial law that the parliament

00:10annulled.

00:11Minister Kim offered to resign and apologize for causing disruption and concern to the

00:15public, saying troops acted on his instructions and that all responsibility lies with him.

00:21The joint motion to impeach the president was forwarded to the National Assembly to

00:24be voted on Saturday evening.

00:27Meanwhile, in protest of the president, large crowds gathered outside the parliament for

00:31a candlelit vigil.

00:33Yoon, on the other hand, who risks being prosecuted for high treason, hasn't appeared in public

00:41since his televised announcement that martial law was lifted.

00:45Opposition lawmakers already voted on Thursday to impeach the chairman of South Korea's auditing

00:49board and three top public prosecutors.

00:52The prosecutors were accused of watering down an investigation involving Yoon's wife, who

00:56was linked to suspected stock price manipulation.

00:59Impeaching the president would require support from two-thirds of the National Assembly,

01:03which is 200 of its 300 members.

01:05The opposition parties together have 192 seats, with support from 18 lawmakers that belong

01:11to an anti-Yoon faction in his party.

01:13But this faction said they would work against the impeachment.

01:16If Yoon is impeached, he will be suspended until the constitutional court rules on whether

01:21to remove him from office.

01:23High treason is punishable by death under South Korean law.

01:26The country retains the death penalty, but it has not carried out any executions since

01:311997.

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