The motion to impeach President Yoon Suk Yeol failed in the National Assembly on Saturday, as all but three of the 108 members of the ruling People’s Power Party, abstained from voting.

The decision sparked widespread fury and frustration among overseas Koreans, who have directed their anger at the ruling party.

“I feel profound sadness,” Sun-ju Bully-Noh, who teaches Korean at the University of Burgundy in Dijon, France.

"I cannot understand why opinions are so divided in the face of such an obvious crime. How can we possibly explain this situation, which the entire world is watching so closely, to our children and students?" she told The Korea Herald after hearing the result.

“Those who have been entrusted by the world’s most exemplary democratic citizens to serve in the National Assembly have betrayed their duties and once again brought great disappointment to the public,” Bully-Noh continued.

She moved to France 27 years ago and was on her way to Paris to join a protest against President Yoon Suk Yeol, for which about 300 people had signed up.

"We’re supposed to meet at 3 p.m., but we’re arranging to gather earlier. It’s pouring in Paris, but everyone will arrive soaked in the rain because we are deeply saddened," she added.

Following Yoon's sudden declaration of martial law, Bully-Noh joined nearly 900 overseas professors and researchers in signing a statement under the name "Overseas Professors and Researchers Concerned About Korea’s Present and Future," expressing deep concern about the nation’s trajectory.

In the US, Kang Aram, a Ph.D. student in Community Health Sciences at the University of Illinois Chicago, also voiced her outrage and frustration following the National Assembly’s decision.

"The sincere hopes and demands of the people have been disregarded by today’s devastating decision in the National Assembly. How can we not lament the actions of lawmakers who, under the misleading name of the People Power Party, have chosen to betray history and oppress the people?” she told The Korea Herald.

Kang was among 700 graduate students and researchers across North America to issue a statement denouncing President Yoon Suk Yeol.

"We urge the Democratic Party, the Rebuilding Korea Party, the Basic Income Party, the Progressive Party, and all opposition parties to take immediate action. Although today’s impeachment proposal has been rejected, we strongly encourage you to promptly reintroduce impeachment motions and related legislation to end the illegitimate administration of President Yoon Suk Yeol as quickly as possible," she said.

"As graduate students and researchers within the North American Korean community, we commit to dedicating all our resources and efforts to fighting until the day the Yoon administration ends, regardless of how far we are from our homeland," Kang added.

From a distance, but with deep concern

Around the world, people are watching the current situation in South Korea with a mix of apprehension and curiosity.

“As a foreigner, especially an international student from Japan -- a country with a unique relationship with Korea -- I know I’m not in a position to comment on Korean politics. However, I can’t help but feel a deep sense of respect for the citizens who stood up to protect democracy,” a Japanese graduate student, who wished to remain anonymous, told The Korea Herald on Saturday.

He just arrived four months ago to pursue a graduate degree at a Korean university.

“Although all I can do is watch the events unfold in the country I love, this experience has become an opportunity for me to learn far beyond my academic studies.

“I don’t know when or how this turmoil, which has shaken not only Korean society -- including its politics and economy -- but also the entire world, will come to an end. However, along with citizens from Japan and around the globe, I will watch closely until the very end in real time,” he added.

A 30-year-old American citizen based in California, speaking on condition of anonymity, shared similar sentiments.

"This martial law has caused immense pain and fear among many Koreans. In response to the president’s extreme decision, the people have quickly risen up in protest, once again demonstrating their commitment to democratic freedoms.

“I believe that, although this crisis is unsettling, it could serve as an opportunity for South Korea’s democracy to mature and become more robust. Personally, I find the president’s actions absurd, ridiculous, and unreasonable," she said.

An expert on East Asian politics interprets Saturday’s decision as an attack on democracy.

“The normalization of antidemocratic behaviors increases quite substantially the chances of future attacks to democracy. South Korean democracy is still under threat. The lack of repercussions for a failed coup d’etat sets a precedent for one of the biggest threats to democratic institutions to go unpunished,” said Fabio Angiolillo, a postdoctoral researcher at the Sweden-based V-Dem Institute, which annually monitors and reviews democracy worldwide in its reports.

“Bearing in mind that the People Power Party is a merger of several smaller far-right parties along with more conservative right-leaning parties, South Korea remains vulnerable to Yoon’s antidemocratic legacy,” Angiolillo added.