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South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol issued a terse apology Saturday morning for his failed attempt to impose martial law, ahead of an impeachment vote later today that will decide his political future.
In his first public appearance after withdrawing his martial law decree in the early hours of Wednesday morning, Yoon said in a one-minute televised address that he was “very sorry” for causing public distress.
“The declaration of emergency came from a desperate president,” he said Yoonadding “the process (of martial law) caused inconvenience and confusion to the people. I deeply regret and sincerely apologize.”
Yoon’s remarks represent a last-ditch effort to win over wavering members of his own party and save his presidency after a tumultuous week that showed both resilience and fragility. South Korean democracy.
The president insisted in his address that he would not try to impose martial law again, after the leader of his conservative People’s Power party, Han Dong-hoon, warned that Yoon “could put the Republic of Korea and its citizens in a situation of great danger if he is allowed to continue”.
The president did not attempt to explain his actions, which included deploying troops to the national assembly in a failed attempt to prevent lawmakers from voting to reject the decree.
In his brief address, Yoon said he would “leave it to the ruling party to decide on ways to stabilize state affairs in the future, including (until) the end of my term.”
Han told reporters immediately after Yoon’s address that “the premature departure of the president is inevitable. We are in a position where he cannot perform his job as president normally.” However, he did not say whether he would vote for the impeachment motion.
Yoon’s presidential term is set to last until 2027, but he could be suspended from office as early as Saturday night if the national assembly makes a request for recall which was submitted earlier this week by the opposition parties.
“It seems that Yoon has completely resigned himself to his fate, without any struggle,” said Karl Friedhoff, a Korea expert at the Chicago Council on Global Affairs. “Even if the impeachment vote does not pass, the country will be completely rudderless. He looked like a broken man.”
South Korea’s constitution stipulates that an impeachment vote must be passed by a two-thirds majority in the 300-seat National Assembly.
The country’s six opposition parties, all of which have called for Yoon’s impeachment, control 192 seats, meaning they also need at least eight members of the ruling People’s Power party to support the motion.
In South Korea, the president is elected directly and appoints the government, while the composition of the legislature is decided through separate elections.
Lee Jae-myung, leader of the main left-wing opposition Democratic Party and a leading contender to succeed Yoon as president in the event of new elections, described his address as “disappointing”.
“His remarks will only fuel public feelings of betrayal and anger,” Lee told reporters. “The greatest risk to the Republic of Korea at this time is Yoon’s existence.”
Most observers believe PPP leader Han’s call on Friday for Yoon to be removed “immediately” will swing Saturday’s vote, scheduled for just after 5pm local time, in favor of impeachment.
But a former official in Yoon’s presidential administration said that while most South Korean conservatives disapprove of Yoon’s actions this week, they were “traumatized” by their experience with the impeachment of former conservative President Park Geun-hye in 2017, which paved the way for the election of Yoon’s leftist predecessor Moon Jae’s.
Suh Bok-kyung, a political commentator, suggested that Yoon’s apology may have been part of a deal with PPP lawmakers that would have involved him resigning from the party and handing over political management of state affairs in exchange for their votes tonight.
If the impeachment request is approved, it must be approved by the country’s Constitutional Court. In the meantime, the president is suspended from office, and power temporarily passes to the prime minister.
