South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol faced pressure from lawmakers and the public on Wednesday to step down or face impeachment after he ended martial law, which led to troops surrounding parliament, that he called just hours earlier.
Yoon’s senior advisers and secretaries offered to resign en masse. Members of the president’s cabinet, including Defense Minister Kim Yong Hyun, are also facing calls to resign. All members of South Korea’s State Council have reportedly expressed their intention to resign.
On Tuesday night, Yun abruptly imposed martial law and vowed to eliminate “anti-state” forces after struggling to move his agenda through the opposition-dominated parliament. However, martial law had only been in place for six hours since the National Assembly voted to overrule the president’s decision.
Martial law was formally lifted at a cabinet meeting at around 4:30 am.
South Korea’s president lifted martial law after lawmakers rejected the measure
People watch a TV screen showing a televised briefing by South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol at a bus terminal in Seoul, South Korea, Tuesday, Dec. 3, 2024. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)
MLA submitted A resolution impeaching the president over his declaration of martial law.
The liberal opposition Democratic Party, which holds a majority in parliament, earlier in the day threatened that its lawmakers would move to impeach the president if he did not resign immediately.
“President Yoon Suk-yeol’s declaration of martial law is a clear violation of the constitution. It has not complied with any requirements to declare it,” the Democratic Party said in a statement. “His declaration of martial law is fundamentally invalid and a serious violation of the Constitution. It is a grave act of rebellion and provides perfect grounds for his impeachment.”
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South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol speaks during a pre-recorded interview with KBS television at the presidential office in Seoul, South Korea, Sunday, Feb. 4, 2024. (South Korea Presidential Office via AP, file)
Impeachment of the President requires the approval of two-thirds of the 300 members of Parliament. The Democratic Party and other minor opposition parties together hold 192 seats. But with 18 lawmakers from Yoon’s ruling People Power Party voting against the president’s decision, parliament rejected Yoon’s declaration of martial law in a 190-0 vote.
Han Dong-hun, leader of the People Power Party, criticized Yoon’s declaration of martial law as “unconstitutional”.
If Yoon is impeached, he will lose his constitutional powers until the Constitutional Court rules on his fate. Han Duk-soo, the second prime minister in South Korea’s government, assumes his presidential duties.
South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol waves as he arrives to address a joint session of Congress in Washington, Thursday, April 27, 2023. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
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Amid calls for Yoon’s cabinet resignation, Han issued a public message asking cabinet members to be patient and “fulfill your duties even after this moment.”
Yun’s declaration of martial law was the first in more than 40 years. There have been no sightings of military intervention since then South Korea Real democracy was achieved in the late 1980s.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
