Petition for South Korean President's removal hits 811,000 signatures

The petition, posted on the National Assembly’s website, has received significant support since its launch on June 20. It calls for the parliament to draft a bill for Yoon’s impeachment, arguing that he is unfit for office.

National Assembly Speaker Woo Won-shik apologized for the disruptions in accessing the petition and assured that the parliament would act to protect the constitutional rights of the people.

On Monday, users attempting to access the petition faced delays of up to four hours. At one point, an error message indicated that over 30,000 people were waiting to access the site.

The petition accuses Yoon of corruption, escalating the risk of war with North Korea, and exposing South Koreans to health risks by failing to prevent Japan from releasing treated radioactive water from the damaged Fukushima nuclear plant.

According to the law, the parliament must refer petitions signed by more than 50,000 people to a committee, which then decides whether to put them to a vote.

However, media reports suggest that the opposition Democratic Party, which holds a majority in the parliament, is hesitant to convert the petition into an impeachment bill. A party spokesperson stated that the issue had not yet been discussed.

The parliament can request the president’s removal with a two-thirds majority vote. The Constitutional Court then reviews the motion and decides whether to remove the president or reinstate them.

The South Korean parliament has previously impeached Presidents Roh Moo-hyun in 2004 and Park Geun-hye in 2017.