Voter outrage is intensifying in South Korea, after the parliament failed to impeach President Yoon Suk-yeol, despite overwhelming public demand to immediately remove him from office over his Dec. 3 declaration of martial law.

The anger is mainly directed at lawmakers from Yoon’s ruling party who boycotted the impeachment vote Saturday. In doing so, they opted to keep the embattled president, now a suspect of insurrection, in office, while they devise an exit strategy that minimizes the damage to their chances of retaining power.

With the next parliamentary election more than three years away, frustrated voters are now searching for ways to make lawmakers heed their call through recall mechanisms or in protest measures like sending funeral wreaths or condemning text messages, or even throwing eggs at lawmakers’ offices.

Lawmakers can only be expelled by a vote of their peers

Currently, there is no working mechanism for voters to directly recall their elected representatives in South Korea. Lawmakers cannot be impeached either.

According to Article 7 of the Law on Resident Recall, a recall petition can only be filed against local government heads, local council members, and education superintendents. Members of the National Assembly are not included under this law.

Impeachment is the power of parliamentarians to hold the president, prime minister, Cabinet ministers, Constitutional Court judges, and other specified public officials accountable for violating the Constitution or laws in the execution of their duties.

The only way to strip a member of parliament of their status is through a vote by fellow lawmakers.

Under the Constitution and the National Assembly Act, a lawmaker can be dismissed for violation of the Constriction or serious ethical or legal violations or actions that severely damage the honor of the National Assembly.

Expulsion requires the approval of two-thirds of the lawmakers present. This means, with 108 of the Assembly's 300 seats, the ruling party can block expulsion attempts.

Alternative ways

On the National Assembly’s e-petition board, there is an ongoing petition calls for the forced dissolution of the ruling party via a Constitutional Court trial.

The petition, uploaded Monday, claims that People Power Party lawmakers’ boycott of Yoon’s impeachment vote was tantamount to “a violation of the basic democratic order as a political party.”

“Such actions directly violate the principle of national sovereignty outlined in Article 1 of the Constitution and represent a betrayal of their role as representatives of the people,” the petitioner further asserted.

The petition will remain open for support until Jan. 8, 2025. As of Tuesday afternoon, it has garnered more than 171,000 signatures and is currently in the process of being referred to a committee.

Although it may sound extreme, validity of the claims aside, party dissolution itself is a legal procedure in which the Constitutional Court reviews and decides whether a political party should be dissolved due to activities deemed unconstitutional.

When the Unified Progressive Party was dissolved in 2014, the party ceased to exist, and its five remaining Assembly members lost their seats.

Some voters are calling for the use of the resident recall system to remove ruling party-affiliated local government heads, which could serve as a warning to lawmakers. This system allows for a recall vote if a significant percentage of residents support the motion, with dismissal possible based on the vote’s outcome.

At an online regional community with 340,000 members in Sejong City, some residents have called for the removal of Sejong Mayor Choi Min-ho through the resident recall system.

Related posts included reactions such as, “Is Mayor Choi Min-ho really defending the leader of the insurrection?” and “Let’s remove Choi Min-ho through the resident recall system for opposing impeachment.”

Choi was one of 12 party-affiliated regional leaders from the People Power Party, who held an emergency meeting on Dec. 6. They released a joint statement, apologizing for the political turmoil but opposed impeachment to avoid further disruption.

On Dec.7, the impeachment motion against President Yoon was put to a vote in the National Assembly but failed due to a lack of quorum. The motion required the approval of two-thirds, or 200 out of 300 members, to pass. However, it was dismissed as an “invalid vote,” with just 195 ballots cast, after People Power Party lawmakers, except for Ahn Cheol-soo, Kim Sang-wook and Kim Ye-ji, abstained from participating.

Eggs, knives and red paint

According to the police on Monday, a box cutter was found in front of the residence of People Power Party lawmaker Kim Jae-seop, on Sunday, a day after the impeachment motion failed to proceed to a vote. Next to it was a placard urging for President Yoon’s impeachment.

A condolence wreath bearing messages such as “Traitor of rebellion” and “Kim Jae-seop Out” was also delivered to his office located in Dobong-gu, Seoul. A video shared on an online community showed red liquid smeared on the office door and white power, believed to be from a fire extinguisher, sprayed on the floor.

Kim’s office reported this matter to the police, and the police has strengthened personal protection measures for him.

On the same day, eggs were thrown at the district office of Rep. Cho Jung-hun representing Mapo-gu, Seoul.

According to photos shared on an online community, Cho’s portrait displayed at his district office showed traces of eggs having been hurled at it, with what appeared to be broken eggshells scattered below.

According to local news reports, raw eggs and trash were being thrown at his office, and the office door was being kicked repeatedly. Although the police were dispatched following a report from the building owner, Cho’s office said they were not considering taking any legal steps, such as filing a complaint or requesting an investigation.