SEOUL, 13 March 2004 — South Korea’s Parliament impeached President Roh Moo-hyun yesterday, suspending him from office amid chaotic scenes and thrusting the country into unprecedented economic and political uncertainty.
Some 12,000 Roh supporters, many holding candles and chanting slogans, protested peacefully near the National Assembly building and the headquarters of the main opposition Grand National Party. Riot police stood at the ready.
All Roh’s powers are in limbo until the Constitutional Court rules on the vote, which the opposition called after he broke an election law. That process could take up to six months, during which time Prime Minister Goh Kun will run the country.
“The world is watching us with anxiety and concern,” Goh told ministers in a nod to the unseemly brawling in Parliament as well as the geopolitical ramifications of impeachment for a country that borders North Korea and has Asia’s fourth-largest economy.
“We should do our best to change those anxieties and concerns into belief and trust in our country,” he said as he presided over his first Cabinet meeting as acting president. US and South Korean military officials will meet today to discuss security — there are 37,000 US troops in South Korea.
South Korean financial markets reacted sharply to the historic vote, which took place as members of Parliament brawled and wept. Burly plainclothes guards had had to prise grimacing deputies’ hands off the speaker’s microphone.
Investors sought the safe haven of bonds, shares closed at a five-week low and the won shed one percent against the dollar. Finance Minister Lee Hun-jai sent 1,000 letters to international agencies, global banks and fund managers to reassure them that the economy would remain stable.
The economy is just emerging from a downturn and the nation faces an April 15 parliamentary election. Seoul is also crucial in six-way talks on North Korea’s nuclear ambitions.
“This is the day our nation’s democracy died,” said the pro-Roh Uri Party that had sought to block the vote with a sit-in. Its members of Parliament said they would all resign. The leader of the Grand National Party, Choe Byung-yul, said the vote was a victory for the opposition.
“But today is not a happy day because the president elected by the people had to be impeached,” he said.
Choe spoke with Goh by telephone and pledged to work with him for stability. Goh said the vote was deplorable.
Amid tumultuous scenes even by the cut-and-thrust standards of South Korean politics, 193 members of the 273-seat National Assembly voted to unseat the president. That was more than the 181-vote, two-thirds majority of occupied seats needed. Only two people voted against the motion. All others abstained or were not in the chamber.
Roh’s backers were furious. Some threw their shoes at the speaker after the vote, others wept, yelled, crouched on the floor or sang the national anthem. Roh said he was confident the Constitutional Court would overturn the vote. A court spokesman told Reuters the nine judges could start to deliberate as early as Friday.
Foreign investors closely watch political stability in South Korea, which is already grappling with North Korea, a still-nascent economic recovery and an investigation into illicit funds conglomerates known as “chaebol” gave to political parties.
