South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol on Saturday apologised for his brief attempt to impose martial law, offering to accept any legal consequences ahead of a parliamentary vote on his impeachment.
In a televised address, Yoon Suk Yeol expressed deep regret for causing public concern and inconvenience, vowed never to seek martial law again, and stated that his People Power Party (PPP) would decide his political future. He also committed to facing any legal or political consequences for his actions.
Immediately after the speech, PPP leader Han Dong-hun called for Yoon’s resignation, saying he was no longer fit for office. Opposition lawmakers filed an impeachment motion, but it was unclear whether they could secure the required two-thirds majority to pass it.
The Opposition holds 192 of the National Assembly’s 300 seats, needing at least eight votes from the PPP to succeed. On Wednesday, 18 PPP members voted to abolish martial law, just hours after Yoon declared it, as heavily armed troops surrounded the National Assembly in an attempt to disrupt the vote.
Yoon’s controversial actions have sparked a political crisis, alarming key allies such as Japan and the United States. Opposition MPs argue that Yoon’s martial law proclamation amounted to a self-coup, using rebellion as the basis for the impeachment petition. Despite Han’s call for his resignation, the PPP voted against impeachment during a parliamentary meeting.
On Friday, Han urged for the immediate suspension of Yoon’s powers, warning that he posed a serious risk to national security. Han also claimed that during the brief period of martial law, Yoon had ordered the arrest of senior lawmakers, including himself, opposition leader Lee Jae-myung, and National Assembly speaker Woo Won Shik. Han stated that Yoon had directed the country’s defense counterintelligence commander to detain the politicians on charges of “anti-state activities.”
In response, the defence ministry suspended several key officials, including Yeo In-hyung, the defence counterintelligence commander. Yoon’s former defence minister, Kim Yong Hyun, suspected of urging the martial law declaration, is under investigation for rebellion charges.
Additionally, Kim Seon Ho, the acting defence minister after Kim Yong Hyun’s resignation, testified before parliament that military units had been deployed to the National Assembly after Yoon declared martial law. (Hindustan Times)
