Protesters in South Korea watch hopes of impeachment fade

As pulsating rave music blared from speakers outside the National Assembly in Seoul, demonstrators chanted and waved multi-colored light sticks.

“Sack Yoon Suk-yeol! Yeon-seok-yeol has been arrested!” She cheered.

The mood was festive, but the crowd was there for a serious reason: to get rid of the country's president.

On Saturday morning, four days after Yoon's failed attempt to declare martial law, the president appeared again on television. this time He would have said sorry to the nationThis was hours before the vote on his removal.

But his guilty plea did little to please the public. As lawmakers began heading to the National Assembly, various protest marches began throughout Seoul. While a few of them supported the embattled president, most were calling for him to step down or be impeached.

By 3 p.m., most of the demonstrators had gathered in front of the National Assembly. The main street was crowded with people sitting in neat rows, while police officers lined the street.

Protest flags fluttered in the cold winter breeze, while side-street vendors sold pancakes and pastries filled with red bean paste to hungry protesters.

It was a diverse crowd made up of young students, office workers and retirees. The police estimated the number of participants at about 100,000 people.

With rock bands, big screens and crane cameras, protest marches in South Korea tend to resemble outdoor music festivals, and this one was no different. Throughout the afternoon, the audience enjoyed fun acapella tunes, emotional ballads, and protest anthems.

The crowds sang “South Korea is a Democratic Republic” – a catchy children’s song extolling the virtues of democracy; Thriller “March's Song for You”; And even the Korean version of Can You Hear the People Sing from the musical Les Misérables.

There were also fiery speeches. One union leader vowed: “We must eliminate the traitors! If the impeachment vote fails, all 1.5 million members of our union will go straight to the presidential office.”

“Traitors will be judged by the people's sharp blade!”

“Sack! Sack!” The crowd cheered again.

But as the winter light faded into the night, so did the protesters' hopes.

When it came time to vote on the accountability bill, the ruling People Power Party announced a boycott of the elections, frustrating the opposition, which only had eight votes to pass the bill.

Almost all the PPP MPs rose from their seats and left the hall, while opposition members shouted and tried to prevent them from leaving.

Watching these chaotic proceedings on screens outside, many protesters were horrified.

“The freedom of democracy is collapsing because of just one man,” lamented Choi Eun-chung, an office worker. “He is killing me.”

“I think lawmakers are irresponsible,” said freelance writer Park Ja-ram.

She had left her home in the southern city of Daegu at 5 a.m. and traveled hours to Seoul to participate in the protest. “I've been waiting for this all day. I hope they come back and vote. I'm trying to stay optimistic but I don't expect it to happen.”

Others were angrier. Activist Luke Kim said, “I think Yoon is a complete disgrace to democracy in this country. Lawmakers should represent the people, not the president… We are very upset.”

He added: “We will not back down until he is impeached… We will continue the march until our democracy finally triumphs over this madness committed by this crazy president.”

On stage, protest leaders called on the crowd to besiege the National Assembly. They hoped that by closing the gates and trapping PPP lawmakers inside, they could buy the opposition enough time to convince enough PPP members to vote for impeachment.

The crowd surged forward toward the gates. As protest leaders read the names of each PPP lawmaker, demonstrators chanted “Get back to the vote!” After each name.

The mood improved when Pakistan People's Party member Kim Sang-wook returned to the chamber to vote, joining two others from his party who remained in the chamber. There was hope among the crowd, as demonstrators cheered and chanted Kim's name like he was a rock star.

Organizers blasted K-pop music, and the audience began dancing, singing and waving light sticks. Some even belted out a Mexican take on the Girls Generation song. Suddenly the protest turned into a joyful concert.

For a while, the mood remained lively. Protesters believe more ruling party members will cross the hall by the 1 a.m. deadline.

But there were ominous signs. Kim told reporters that he actually voted against impeachment. For hours, no one else from the PPP joined.

Finally, at around 9 p.m., the Speaker of the House said he would close the vote early. Immediately the festive mood evaporated. The impeachment bill needed just five additional votes to advance, but there were none in sight — and time was running out.

The crowd pressed closer to the gates. “Come in, come in!” They begged and urged the PPP lawmakers to return to the chamber to vote.

At 9.20pm, the speaker closed the vote. The crowd fell silent as they watched parliamentary officials count the ballots.

Some let out groans of disappointment, while others screamed angrily at the screens. The usual chant of “impeach, impeach” floated in the air, but it seemed to have lost its force.

The spokesman announced that the bill could not be passed. The quorum for counting was not reached, which was 200 votes. In the crowd, a woman let out an agonizing scream and buried her face in her partner's chest, crying.

Protest leaders rushed to the stage this time to rally people's spirits.

One speaker vowed: “We will not stop until Yoon is punished. The people will not accept the existence of the PPP. We will fight until the end, until Yoon is impeached.” “Dear people, will you join us in our fight to remove Yun?”

The crowd chanted vigorously: “Yes!”

Meanwhile, inside the National Assembly, opposition leaders vowed to push the impeachment bill again and again until they get rid of Yoon. They are on their side: three-quarters of South Koreans want him impeached, according to the latest polls, while Yoon's popularity has fallen further to just 13%.

In an attempt to end on a high note, protest leaders played “All I Want for Christmas” as a send-off. “Don't forget your belongings, and please take your trash with you,” they urged the sparse crowd, as Mariah Carey's voice echoed through the quickly emptying street.

It won't be long until this road fills up again. Another round of protests is already scheduled for Sunday.

Additional reporting by Jake Kwon.