South Korea: South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol on Saturday apologized for his controversial attempt to impose martial law. He offered to accept any legal consequences before the parliamentary vote on his impeachment. In a televised address, Yun expressed deep regret for the public inconvenience and concern. He vowed never to take such a step in future. He said that his People’s Power Party (PPP) will decide his political future. Yun also pledged to face any political or legal consequences for his actions.
Immediately after the speech, PPP leader Han Dong-hun called for the president’s resignation. He argued that he was no longer suitable for the post. Opposition MPs filed an impeachment motion against Yun. However, it is not clear that the two-thirds majority required to pass the impeachment motion will be achieved.
The opposition has 192 seats in the National Assembly.
At least eight additional votes of PPP are required to make the impeachment motion successful. Earlier on Wednesday, 18 PPP MPs had voted against martial law, which had created political instability across the country. Allies like Japan and America are also worried about this situation. Opposition leaders described Yun’s martial law declaration as a “self-coup”. PPP leader Han Dong-hun appealed to suspend the president’s powers. He said that this has created a serious threat to the security of the country. Han also alleged that during martial law, Yoon ordered the arrest of senior leaders, including opposition leader Lee Jae-myung and National Assembly Speaker Woo Won Shik.
Many key officials suspended
The Defense Ministry suspended several key officials in a martial law-related matter, including defense counter-intelligence commander Yeo In-hyung. Former Defense Minister Kim Yong Hyundai is accused of instigating the declaration of martial law. The investigation into rebellion against him is ongoing. Acting Defense Minister Kim Seon Ho testified before parliament that military units were deployed to the National Assembly on Yoon’s orders. This development has raised serious questions on Yun’s administration.
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