South Korea’s SEOUL As opposition MPs announced they would vote on the resolution on Saturday, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeols’ party vowed Thursday to fight attempts to impeach him over his unsuccessful attempt to establish martial law in the East Asian democracy.
The vote was announced at the same moment that Yoon accepted the resignation of Kim Yong-hyun, his defense minister, who was instrumental in the tumultuous six-hour martial law phase that lasted from late Tuesday local time until Wednesday morning.
Kim’s replacement is Choi Byung-hyuk, a retired four-star army general who serves as South Korea’s ambassador to Saudi Arabia.
Yoon’s chief of staff, Chung Jin-seok, told reporters that he is a man of principles and a trusted member of the military.
On Wednesday, Kim resigned, claiming that I alone bear full responsibility for the mess.
In a statement, he stated, “I am fully responsible for all actions taken by all military soldiers regarding the Emergency Martial Law, as they were all carried out in accordance with my orders and directives.”
On Wednesday, Yoon’s office said that all senior presidential secretaries, including his chief of staff, had also submitted their resignations. However, it supported his imposition of martial law, the first in South Korea since 1980, as being required due to a deadlock with opposition members that Yoon claimed had immobilized the administration.
A populace that had endured decades of military-authoritarian rule prior to South Korea’s transformation into a thriving democracy and the tenth-largest economy in the world immediately opposed the declaration of martial law, which prohibited any political action and restricted the media.
After members entered the National Assembly in Seoul, the capital of South Korea, despite a security cordon, and unanimously rejected the directive, Yoon, 63, revoked it. Additionally, protesters showed up at the legislature, where several got into altercations with security personnel.
The public’s shock and rage were not significantly reduced by the order’s lifting. Demonstrators marched against Yoon and staged a candlelight vigil in downtown Seoul on Wednesday night, demanding his resignation.
Legislators will vote on the Yoon impeachment resolution on Saturday at approximately 7 p.m. (5 a.m. ET), according to a statement released Thursday local time by the main opposition Democratic Party. It was unclear if members of Yoon’s People Power Party (PPP) would abstain from voting or vote against the measure.
Articles of impeachment against Yoon were filed on Wednesday by 191 MPs from six opposition parties and one independent lawmaker. The resolution must receive a two-thirds majority vote in the unicameral National Assembly in order to be approved.
According to PPP leaders, the party opposed the impeachment motion even though they rejected Yoon’s proclamation of martial law and requested him to leave the party. The proposal may not pass unless a number of PPP MPs defect from their party and back it, as the opposition coalition controls 192 seats, or just less than two-thirds of the 300-member legislature.
If the motion doesn’t pass the first time, opposition MPs said they would keep trying until Yoon is removed from office. The Constitutional Court would next hold a trial to decide whether to affirm the impeachment if the motion is approved; a judgment must be made within 180 days.
Prime Minister Han Duck-soo will temporarily assume Yoon’s responsibilities as he remained at the presidential mansion until the court’s decision.
Kurt Campbell, the deputy secretary of state for the United States, stated on Wednesday that Yoon had made a grave mistake in imposing martial law and that the decision appeared to have taken everyone by surprise.
He claimed that despite their strong political differences, progressives and conservatives quickly came together to oppose the decision, demonstrating the resilience of South Korean democracy.
At a gathering hosted by the Aspen Strategy Forum in Washington, he stated, “This is a powerful symbol of the fact that people were prepared to come out and make clear that this was a deeply illegitimate process and that would be met by the will of the people,” according to Reuters.
The U.S. secretary of state, Antony Blinken, denied that there was an intelligence failure but admitted that the Biden administration was unaware of Yoon’s remarks beforehand.
In an interview with Reuters on Wednesday, he stated, “We are definitely not routinely informed of every decision that any partner may be making anywhere in the world at any given time.”
He went on to say that it is crucial that this process go amicably and in accordance with the constitution and the rule of law.
Jennifer Jett reported from Hong Kong, while Stella Kim reported from Seoul, South Korea.
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