SEOUL (Reuters) – South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol has accepted the resignation of Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun and appointed Ambassador to Saudi Arabia Choi Byung-hyuk as the new defense minister, the presidential office said on Thursday.
Kim, who offered to resign on Wednesday, was seen as a central figure in Yoon’s declaration of emergency on Tuesday. A senior military official and motions to impeach Yoon by opposition members said Kim made the recommendation to Yoon.
Yoon’s chief of staff, Chung Jin-suk, called Choi “a principled person who is devoted to his duties and abides by regulations.”
The nomination is Yoon’s first official move since he announced the withdrawal of the state of emergency declaration in the early hours of Wednesday, amid a storm of political turmoil and diplomatic fallout.
Parliament tabled a motion to impeach him early Thursday over the failed state of emergency attempt, but his party vowed to oppose the move, throwing the process into doubt.
The main opposition Democratic Party called Yoon’s attempt to introduce martial law an act of treason, and its lawmakers could lead a vote on the bill as early as Friday.
US officials said they were caught completely off guard by Yoon’s emergency declaration, which Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell said was “badly misjudged”.
