Eight defecting votes from ruliing party key to tomorrow's impeachment motion

[Anchor]

Hello.

This is a special edition of the KBS 9 o'clock news.

It has been a hectic day.

As the vote on the presidential impeachment motion approaches, the political arena is in a state of urgency.

First, let's go to the National Assembly.

Reporter Kim Min-cheol! The ruling party is holding a general meeting, and the opposition party is holding a rally, right?

[Reporter]

Yes, I am currently at the National Assembly main building, where the vote on President Yoon Suk Yeol's impeachment will take place tomorrow (Dec. 7).

With just one day left until the impeachment vote, 8 years since the last, the National Assembly has been bustling all day.

In the main rotunda hall, reporters are gathered waiting for the results of the ongoing general meeting of the People Power Party, while on the opposite side, members of the Democratic Party are holding an overnight rally to solidify their resolve to pass the impeachment motion.

Outside the National Assembly, the chants and cheers of participants calling for the president's impeachment and resignation can also be heard.

Earlier today (Dec. 6), buses were deployed to the National Assembly athletic field.

The National Assembly Secretariat stated that this was a precautionary measure to prevent the deployment of military troops in case of an emergency ahead of the impeachment vote.

[Anchor]

It's been a day without a moment to catch a breath for both the ruling and opposition parties today, ahead of tomorrow's vote.

[Reporter]

The ruling party has been in a tumultuous atmosphere following Representative Han Dong-hoon's announcement regarding the suspension of the president's duties.

This is because he had stated just yesterday (Dec. 5) that he was against the impeachment, but has made a sudden turnaround in just one day.

A general meeting has been held since 11 AM to discuss their response to the impeachment motion, but they have not been able to reach a conclusion easily.

The Democratic Party also held a general meeting to discuss their strategy for tomorrow's vote.

In particular, they likely assessed how Representative Han Dong-hoon's statements today would impact the likelihood of the impeachment motion passing.

The Democratic Party has even mentioned the possibility of a second martial law, and all members of the National Assembly are on standby within the assembly.

[Anchor]

Now, whether it will pass or fail tomorrow is drawing the attention of the entire nation.

The key is the eight votes from the ruling party, right?

[Reporter]

Yes, if more than 200 members of the National Assembly, which is two-thirds of the total, vote in favor of the impeachment motion, it will pass, resulting in the suspension of President Yoon's duties, and the Prime Minister will serve as leader in acting capacity.

The crucial factor is whether there will be any defecting votes from the ruling party.

Out of the 108 members of the People Power Party, if just 8 cast their votes in favor, the impeachment motion will pass, but so far, only two members, Representative Cho Kyung-tae and Representative Ahn Cheol-soo, have publicly expressed their support for the impeachment.

However, since the People Power Party's official stance remains against the impeachment, if they maintain a united front, the impeachment motion could be rejected in tomorrow's vote.

Regardless of the outcome, there will likely be significant aftershocks in the political arena.

This has been a report from the National Assembly.