Thursday, December 19

South Korean president apologizes for declaring martial law as he faces impeachment vote

South Korea’s SEOUL Although he faces an impeachment vote for bringing the important U.S. ally into chaos with his brief martial law declaration, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeolap apologized on Saturday but did not announce his resignation.

In a nationally televised speech, Yoon claimed that although his actions were motivated by the urgency he felt as president, they nevertheless led the public to feel anxious and inconvenienced.

He remarked, “I sincerely apologize to the citizens who were alarmed and I deeply regret this.”

After speaking for a little more than two minutes, Yoon bowed his head deeply in front of the cameras and said, “I will not avoid the legal and political responsibility regarding this declaration of martial law.”

In response to certain opposition parliamentarians’ concerns, he stated that he would not impose martial law again and that his ruling People Power Party (PPP) would determine how state matters would be run and how long he should remain in power.

Following the speech, PPP leader Han Dong-hoon told reporters that Yoon could no longer perform his regular presidential duties and called for his resignation.

Yoon’s opponent in the 2022 presidential election, Lee Jae-myung, the head of the liberal opposition Democratic Party, called the president’s speech “very disappointing.”

According to Lee, President Yoon’s remarks further heightened feelings of betrayal and were wholly out of step with public expectations.

Leaving the office early is the only option.

Six opposition parties started the impeachment process against Yoon this week, and the vote is set for Saturday at approximately 5 p.m. local time (3 a.m. ET). Just short the two-thirds majority required for the resolution to pass, the opposition alliance controls 192 of the 300 seats in the unicameral assembly.

However, Han’s statement on Friday that the president’s powers should be suspended and that Yoon might continue to endanger South Korea and its citizens made it more likely that the motion would pass.

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The conservative party, which had previously stated that it would oppose the impeachment resolution, made the unexpected change. PPP lawmakers were still split, with some still endorsing Yoon, even though it let them to vote for the bill without deviating from their party.

In contrast, opposition MPs and a large portion of the people are adamant that Yoon be removed from office. Tens of thousands of people are anticipated for a huge march on Saturday at around 1 p.m., according to police in the capital city of Seoul.

After attempting to impose martial law, you cannot and should not apologize merely verbally. Following President Yoon Suk Yeol’s speech, Seoul resident Margie Kim stated that the only way for him to truly apologize is to step down immediately.

The 50 million-person nation, which spent decades under military-authoritarian rule before transforming into a thriving democracy and the tenth-largest economy in the world, was rocked by chaos and fear following Yoon’s illegal and unconstitutional declaration of martial law, according to Lee, the leader of the Democratic Party.

He stated on Friday that an unruly power is now destroying the democracy of this country, which was built on blood, sweat, and tears, and that our people have suffered severe injuries to their sense of pride and national honor.

Lee also raised concerns about the potential impact of the martial rule declaration on South Korea’s relations with the United States, pointing out that the unrest had forced the postponement of U.S.-South Korea Nuclear Consultative Group talks that were scheduled for Washington this week.

He claimed that both our diplomacy and our credibility had suffered greatly.

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Officials from the Biden administration claimed they were not informed beforehand that Yoon would impose martial law. However, they have consistently underlined the unwavering nature of the U.S. relationship with South Korea, which houses about 30,000 American soldiers and is seen as a crucial bulwark against North Korea, China, and Russia.

State Department deputy spokesperson Vedant Patel said Thursday that the United States and South Korea have a connection that goes beyond any one president or administration on either side of the Pacific.

The 63-year-old Yoon, who was once the nation’s leading prosecutor, had not been in public since the martial law decree was lifted early on Wednesday when MPs broke through a security cordon to reach the National Assembly building and unanimously rejected it.

He has since accepted his defense minister Kim Yong-hyun’s resignation, stating that he accepts full responsibility for the incident. All top presidential secretaries and Yoon’s chief of staff are among the numerous other officials that have resigned.

Prosecutors and South Korean police are looking into allegations of treason and insurrection against Kim, Yoon, and Interior Minister Lee Sang-min. Kim and seven other active-duty military officers have also been suspended from duty and asked to have their travel abroad prohibited by the Ministry of National Defense.

The six hours between Yoon’s declaration of martial law at 10:30 p.m. on Tuesday and his lifting of the order at 4:30 a.m. on Wednesday were described by military officers and government officials as chaotic. Many of them claimed to have heard about the directive from news reports or Yoon’s unexpected TV speech.

During his speech, Yoon charged that the opposition-controlled parliament was stifling the administration by attempting to impeach several government officials and cutting vital funds from the national budget for the following year. Additionally, he charged that his opponents harbored sympathy for North Korea, the South’s isolated communist neighbor with nuclear weapons with which it is still nominally at war.

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Following Yoon’s speech, martial law was declared, which restricted the media and outlawed any political action, including protests. Additionally, it mandated that the nation’s striking physicians report back to work within 48 hours.

Yoon ordered the arrest of important politicians, including Democratic Party leader Lee and Yoon’s own party leader Han, along with other opposition MPs, a journalist, a former Supreme Court justice, and a former Supreme Court chief justice, officials said Friday.

Regarding the accusations, Yoon’s office has remained silent.

Yoon will be suspended from office for 180 days if he is impeached, pending the Constitutional Court’s decision on whether to uphold the move. Meanwhile, acting president would be Prime Minister Han Duck-soo.

“I do think it is important that this be bipartisan,” said Eun A. Jo, a postdoctoral researcher at the Dickey Center for International Understanding at Dartmouth, even though it wouldn’t take many defections from Yoon’s party to carry the impeachment resolution.

Because I believe there will be a lot more pressure on the Constitutional Court to uphold it once it gets there.

Jennifer Jett reported from Hong Kong, and Stella Kim from Seoul.

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