South Korea's opposition-led parliament impeached President Jon Suk-jeol today, voting to suspend him from official duties over his short-lived attempt last Sunday to impose a state of emergency, Reuters reports.
According to the constitution, Prime Minister Han Duk-so, appointed by Jon, becomes acting (acting)
Jon is the second conservative president in a row to be impeached in South Korea.
Park Geun Hye was removed from office in 2017.
The impeachment came after some members of Ion's People's Power Party joined opposition parties, which control 192 seats in the 300-member national assembly, breaking the two-thirds threshold needed for an impeachment.
The number of deputies who supported the recall was 204, with 85 against, three abstentions and eight invalid ballots.
Although suspended, Jon remains in office, and the Constitutional Court will decide whether to remove him in the next six months, according to Reuters.
If Jon is removed from office, a special election will be called.
Jon shocked the nation late on December 3 when he granted the military broad emergency powers to root out what he called "anti-state forces" and defeat obstructionist political opponents.
He later apologized to the nation but also defended his decision and resisted calls to resign before the vote.
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