Protesters hold signs calling for President Yoon Suk Yeol to be impeached and arrested at the National Assembly in Seoul, South Korea on Wednesday, December 4, 2024. Yoon is facing an impeachment motion after his attempt at imposing martial law failed. Photo by Thomas Maresca/UPI | License Photo
The leader of South Korea’s ruling party called for the swift suspension of embattled President Yoon Suk Yeol Friday, citing the “great risk” of another martial law attempt and confirming that Yoon had called for the arrests of several politicians.
People Power Party leader Han Dong-hoon made the remarks one day after saying he would rally efforts to block the passage of the impeachment motion against Yoon, who is facing growing pressure to step down in the wake of his short-lived martial law declaration this week. Advertisement
“Yesterday I said I would work to prevent the impeachment of President Yoon Suk Yeol to avoid unnecessary harm to the public,” Han said during an emergency meeting of PPP leadership. “However, given the new facts that have come to light, I now believe it is crucial to swiftly suspend President Yoon from his duties to protect the country and its people.” Advertisement
Han said that he received confirmation that Yoon instructed intelligence agencies to detain key politicians during his martial law attempt late Tuesday night. He also noted that Yoon has not admitted any wrongdoing in the wake of the declaration.
“Therefore, if President Yoon Suk Yeol continues to hold the office of the presidency, there is a great risk that extreme actions such as martial law will be repeated, which will put the Republic of Korea and its people in great danger,” Han said, using the official name of South Korea.
The PPP leader met with Yoon in person later on Friday, but said afterward that nothing he heard would change his stance, news agency Yonhap reported.
Yoon shocked the nation when he declared martial law in a televised address Tuesday, claiming he needed to “eradicate the shameless pro-North Korea anti-state forces that are plundering the freedom and happiness of our people.”
Some 190 lawmakers rushed to the National Assembly in the early hours of Wednesday morning and voted to overturn the decree, which was then formally lifted around 4:30 a.m. during a Cabinet meeting.
The entire cycle lasted only six hours, but the shockwaves continue to be felt at home and around the world. The United States, South Korea’s most important ally, was caught off-guard and rattled by the martial law decree, officials said Wednesday. Advertisement
U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell called the declaration “deeply illegitimate.”
“I think President Yoon badly misjudged,” Campbell said at the Aspen Security Forum.
Rumors swirled in South Korea all day Friday that Yoon may again try to impose martial law, prompting many lawmakers to stay in the National Assembly in order to overturn any declaration.
The Democratic Party-led opposition filed an impeachment motion against Yoon after his botched attempt, which will be put to a vote on Saturday evening.
An impeachment would require the support of two-thirds of the 300-member parliament. The opposition controls 192 seats, needing an additional eight votes from the president’s People Power Party to pass the motion — with Han’s remarks Friday making the impeachment appear more likely.
If the motion passes, the Constitutional Court must then decide whether to confirm the impeachment within six months. Prime Minister Han Duck-soo would relieve Yoon of his duties and step in as interim leader during this period.
On Thursday, Yoon accepted the resignation of Defense Minister Kim Yong-Hyun, who took full responsibility for the soldiers dispatched under the brief martial law. Roughly 280 troops broke into the National Assembly building after the declaration, with live television footage showing parliamentary aides trying to block the soldiers by spraying fire extinguishers. Advertisement
Acting Defense Minister Kim Seon-ho said Friday that rumors of another martial law attempt were “completely untrue,” adding that the military would not obey such orders if they were issued again.
“Even if there is a request for martial law, the Ministry of National Defense and the Joint Chiefs of Staff will absolutely not accept it,” Kim said in a statement sent to reporters.
The Defense Ministry suspended three military commanders involved in Yoon’s martial law attempt, it said Friday in another message to reporters.
Lt. Gen. Lee Jin-woo, chief of the Capital Defense Command; Lt. Gen. Kwak Jong-keun, chief of the Army Special Warfare Command; and Counterintelligence Commander Lt. Gen. Yeo In-hyung have been transferred to other units, the ministry said.
The ministry later added that it was seeking a travel ban for the three commanders as well as seven other active-duty officers who ordered the deployment of troops during the martial law period.
Even if Yoon survives the impeachment vote, he faces overwhelmingly negative public opinion, with protests and candlelight vigils calling for his ouster continuing across the country on Friday.
According to a survey by South Korean pollster Realmeter on Wednesday, 73.6% of respondents supported Yoon’s impeachment, while 70% agreed that his actions could constitute treason. Advertisement
Yoon was already deeply unpopular before the martial law decree amid an election-meddling scandal and political battles with an opposition-controlled parliament that thwarted his domestic agenda. His wife, First Lady Kim Keon Hee, is also facing myriad accusations of stock manipulation and graft, including the gift of a Dior handbag gift that sparked a political firestorm earlier this year.
In a poll released Friday by Gallup Korea, Yoon’s popularity plummeted to an all-time-low of 13%, with some 80% of respondents disapproving of the president after his speech declaring martial law.
