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Seoul:
Trouble seems to be mounting for South Korea’s President Yoon Suk Yeol, as lawmakers began the impeachment proceedings against him following a bungled imposition of martial law that brought thousands of protesters to the streets.
Here are the latest developments in the South Korea crisis:
- Impeachment Vote Scheduled: President Yoon was still clinging to power on Thursday as he faces impeachment after imposing martial law and sending troops and helicopters to parliament. The opposition has filed a motion to impeach Yoon, 63, who has since gone to ground. A vote in the South Korean parliament on the President’s proposed impeachment is scheduled for Saturday at around 7:00 pm (1000 GMT), opposition lawmaker Jo Seoung-lae was quoted as saying by news agency Yonhap.
- No Presidential Address: Embattled Mr Yoon will not make any public statements on Thursday, his office said, after the short-lived declaration of martial law imploded his political fortunes and his grip on the country spectacularly. Mr Yoon has not been seen in public since his televised address in the early hours of Wednesday after the law was lifted.
- Police Investigating President: South Korean police said it has begun investigating President Yoon, who has lurched from crisis to crisis since taking office in 2022, for alleged “insurrection” over his declaration of martial law. Woo Jong-soo, head of the National Investigation Headquarters of the National Police Agency, told lawmakers that “the case has been assigned,” footage showed.
- South Korean Defence Minister Resigns: South Korean Defence Minister Kim Yong-hyun resigned on Thursday, the president’s office said. The resignation came after it came to light that it was Mr Kim, a longtime confidant of Mr Yoon, who recommended imposing martial law, according to a senior military official and impeachment filings by opposition figures on Wednesday. “Today, the President accepted the resignation of Minister of National Defence Kim Yong-hyun and approved his dismissal, and nominated Ambassador to Saudi Arabia Choi Byung-hyuk as the new ministerial candidate,” Mr Yoon’s office said.
- Travel Ban On Ex-Defence Minister: Prosecutors in the Asian country banned ex-defence minister Kim from leaving the country over his role in a martial law declaration. “The Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office has imposed a travel ban on the former minister,” according to a report by news agency Yonhap.
- Ruling PPP Lawmakers To Reject Impeachment Bill: The floor leader of South Korea’s ruling People Power Party (PPP) vowed that all their lawmakers would “unite” to defeat an opposition-led motion to impeach President Yoon. “All 108 lawmakers of the People Power Party will stay united to reject the president’s impeachment,” Choo Kyung-ho said at a live-streamed party meeting. The opposition-dominated parliament needs eight ruling party lawmakers to vote with them for the impeachment bill to pass.
- Ruling PPP Asks President To Leave Party: Despite the call to oppose the impeachment bill, the PPP has asked President Yoon to leave the party. The leader of PPP, Han Dong-hoon told reporters he had “demanded the president’s resignation from the party,” adding that his party was “not trying to defend the president’s unconstitutional martial law”.
- US Praises South Korea Amid Crisis: The White House on Wednesday praised South Korea’s “democratic resilience” as lawmakers in Seoul moved to impeach the President. South Korea “is demonstrating democratic resilience. We are confident the people of Korea will resolve this episode peacefully, democratically, and constitutionally,” US National Security Council spokesman Sean Savett said on X.
- South Korea Crisis: Long-simmering disputes between the conservative government and its opponents over budgets, investigations and scandals spiralled into the imposition of martial law by the President. The sudden declaration of decree also reportedly blindsided the ruling party, whose leader Han Dong-hoon told reporters the presidential office had not consulted with him about the move. He, along with Prime Minister Han Duck-soo joined calls for Mr Yoon to rescind the order. Mr Han, a Yoon appointee would become acting president if Yoon is removed from office, according to a report by Reuters.
- Martial Law In Korea: The imposition was the first such declaration in over four decades in South Korea and brought back painful memories of its autocratic past. The move was to “safeguard a liberal South Korea from the threats posed by North Korea’s communist forces and to eliminate anti-state elements plundering people’s freedom and happiness,” Mr Yoon had said.
