South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol faced pressure from lawmakers and the public on Wednesday to resign or be impeached after ending martial law that led to troops surrounding parliament, which he called for just hours earlier. had called.
Yoon’s senior advisors and secretaries offered to resign collectively. The president’s Cabinet members, including Defense Minister Kim Yong Hyun, also faced calls to resign. All members of South Korea’s State Council have reportedly expressed their intention to resign.
On Tuesday night, Yoon abruptly imposed martial law and vowed to eliminate “anti-state” forces after struggling to push his agenda through the opposition-dominated parliament. However, martial law had only been in effect for about six hours since the National Assembly voted to override the president’s decision.
Martial law was formally lifted at around 4:30 am during a cabinet meeting
SOUTH Korea’s president lifts martial law after lawmakers reject move
People watch a TV screen showing South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol giving a televised briefing at a bus station in Seoul, South Korea, Tuesday, December 3, 2024. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)
Lawmakers submitted a motion to impeach the president over his declaration of martial law.
The liberal opposition Democratic Party, which has a majority in parliament, threatened earlier in the day that its lawmakers would take steps to impeach the president if he did not resign immediately.
“President Yoon Suk Yeol’s declaration of martial law was a clear violation of the constitution. The requirements to declare it were not met,” the Democratic Party said in a statement. “His declaration of martial law was originally invalid and a grave violation of the Constitution. It was a grave act of rebellion and provides perfect grounds for his impeachment.”
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South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol speaks during a pre-recorded interview with KBS television at the presidential office in Seoul, South Korea, Sunday, February 4, 2024. (South Korea Presidential Office via AP, file)
Impeaching the president would require the approval of two-thirds of the three hundred members of parliament. The Democratic Party and other small opposition parties together account for 192 seats. But eighteen lawmakers from Yoon’s ruling People Power Party voted against the president’s decision as parliament rejected Yoon’s declaration of martial law by a vote of 190 to 0.
People Power Party leader Han Dong-hun criticized Yoon’s declaration of martial law as “unconstitutional”.
If Yoon is impeached, he will be deprived of his constitutional powers until the Constitutional Court can decide his fate. Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, the second in command in the South Korean government, would take over his presidential responsibilities.
South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol waves as he arrives to address a joint meeting of Congress, Thursday, April 27, 2023, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
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Amid calls for the resignation of Yoon’s cabinet, Han issued a public message asking for patience and calling on cabinet members to “fulfill your duties even after this moment.”
Yoon’s declaration of martial law was the first of its kind in more than four decades. Scenes of military intervention had not been seen since South Korea achieved real democracy in the late 1980s.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
