Participants shout in joy at a rally demanding President Yoon Suk Yeol's impeachment in front of the National Assembly in Seoul, Saturday, as the motion to impeach the leader is passed. Korea Times photo by Jung Da-bin
"Victory! Victory! The people have triumphed!"
At 5:01 p.m. on Saturday, cheers and shouts from an estimated 2 million Koreans, according to protest organizers, reverberated around the National Assembly in Seoul as a motion to impeach President Yoon Suk Yeol was passed, following his brief imposition of martial law.
Many people who braved subzero temperatures for hours to attend the rally burst into tears, exchanging high-fives and hugs.
"I declare that the impeachment motion of Presidential Yoon Suk Yeol has passed with 204 votes in favor and 85 votes against out of 300 total votes, with three abstentions and eight invalid votes," National Assembly Speaker Woo Won-shik said.
Participants shout in joy at a rally demanding President Yoon Suk Yeol's impeachment in front of the National Assembly in Seoul, Saturday, as a motion to impeach the leader is passed. Korea Times photo by Ryu Gi-chan
As soon as the words "impeachment motion passes" appeared on giant electronic screens, the people who had been sitting on the cold asphalt jumped to their feet, shouting "victory" and waving light sticks in every color.
Jeong, an 18-year-old student from Daejeon who has been participating in the rallies every day since Dec. 3, said she was thrilled to have witnessed a moment in history.
"This is incredible. I've been hoping so much for this entire fiasco to come to an end. Today is a moment I will never forget for the rest of my life," she said.
Among the crowd of protesters was 75-year-old Lee, who was wiping away tears.
"I have been so scared this week, thinking we're going back to the 1980s when martial law broke out," she said, wiping tears. "From today's result, I know that we have earned a true democracy indeed."
A protester bursts into tears during a rally to demand President Yoon Suk Yeol's impeachment in front of the National Assembly in Seoul, Saturday, as a motion to impeach the leader is passed. Yonhap
"I think we all knew we would win," said Park, 36, who joined the protest alone.
"I am glad that the country has finally taken a step in the right direction, but it's not over yet. I hope the Constitutional Court will make a ruling soon," he said.
According to organizers, around 2 million people joined the Saturday rally. The protest was akin to a huge K-pop festival that brought generations of Koreans from all walks of life together.
As soon as the news broke, rally organizers blasted Korea's latest protest anthem, "Into a New World," by K-pop group Girls' Generation through large speakers. The crowd erupted in song, waving cheering sticks in unison.
Even after the news of the vote's passage spread, many stayed at the venue for nearly an hour, chanting slogans and singing along in celebration.
Some 2 million Koreans participate in a rally calling for President Yoon Suk Yeol's impeachment in front of the National Assembly in Seoul, Saturday. Korea Times photo by Choi Ju-yeon
Kim, a 30-year-old, came to the rally with her 4-year-old daughter. "It seems that many more ruling party lawmakers voted for impeachment than we expected," Kim said. "I hope lawmakers won't forget that they are the representatives of the people and carry out what the people want," she added.
Meanwhile, in the Gwanghwamun area of downtown Seoul, some 40,000 conservative protesters who had been rallying to support Yoon, groaned in despair as the passage of the impeachment motion was announced.
The second impeachment motion against Yoon was passed with 204 votes in favor, 85 against, three abstentions and eight invalid votes.
The ruling People Power Party boycotted the Assembly's first impeachment motion on Dec. 7, leaving the chamber without voting. This resulted in the motion being nullified due to a lack of quorum.