“It is impossible to avoid accusations of rebellion even if martial law has been lifted,” said Park Chan-dae, an official from the liberal Democratic Party. “Yoon has to resign.” Because the president himself does not resign, the party starts the impeachment procedure together with five other opposition parties. MPs will decide at a later date when to vote on the motion, the six parties told a joint press conference.
By law, the vote must take place within 24 to 72 hours from the time of discussion in a plenary meeting, which is expected to take place on December 5. This means that the decision to impeach the South Korean president could be made on December 6 or 7 – Friday or Saturday.
South Korea’s main trade union federation, the Confederation of Korean Trade Unions (KCTU), called for an “unlimited general strike” until the resignation of President Yoon Suk Yeol. The union, which has 1.2 million members, said Yoon took an “irrational and antidemocratic measure” and signed his “own end to power.”
No dismissal
Some of his key employees have tendered their resignation in recent hours. The South Korean news agency Yonhap writes that the president’s chief of staff and the national security adviser, among others, want to resign. A total of ten key advisors to Yoon are said to have offered their resignation.
The president himself appears to be staying put. His cabinet defended Yoon on Wednesday afternoon (local time, Wednesday morning) by saying that he acted according to the Constitution and that the declaration of martial law was aimed at minimizing damage to his country’s economy.
“enemy of the state”
The president declared martial law, a kind of emergency, on Tuesday evening. He hoped to “restore normality in the country” by “getting rid of hostile state forces as quickly as possible”. Yoon, who does not have a majority in parliament, was referring to the opposition he receives from the opposition. For example, parliament had recently cut the government’s budget. (Read more below the photo)
Members of parliament staff emptied fire extinguishers to keep soldiers at a distance. — © via REUTERS
He accused the opposition of controlling parliament, sympathizing with North Korea and paralyzing the government with “hostile activities.” Top general Park An-su then announced that all political activities would be suspended. This includes parliament, but also local councils and the operation of political parties. Meetings and demonstrations are also prohibited. In addition, the media would come under military authority.
Martial law revoked
Despite attempts by the security forces to block access to parliament, 190 of the 300 representatives were still able to participate in a vote, in which it was unanimously decided to repeal martial law. Yoon confirmed a few hours later that the military state of emergency had been lifted again. Demonstrators who had come to parliament in protest against martial law reacted jubilantly to the news.
“We will comply with the National Assembly’s request and lift martial law at a government meeting,” the president said in a TV address. The parliamentarians remained in the meeting room until late at night. They were still there at the time of the president’s announcement, just after 4:30 am local time.
Shortly after the announcement, the government moved to officially revoke martial law, South Korea’s Yonhap news agency reported. The same source also reported that the military had lifted the martial law enforcement command. The security forces also withdrew.
Clashes in parliament
Opponents viewed martial law as an unconstitutional attempt by the president to gain more power. The decision therefore led to great controversy. Han Dong-hoon, the party leader of the PPP that includes President Yoon Suk-yeol, said invoking martial law was “wrong” and opposed the measure. Opposition leader Lee Jae-myung, of the Democratic Party of Korea, had called the decision to invoke martial law unconstitutional. He called on the people and all parliamentarians of his party to gather at the National Assembly building. (Read more below the photos)
Members of the opposition Democratic Party barricaded doors in parliament to stop soldiers. — © via REUTERS
Live television footage showed clashes between security forces and parliament staff. They sprayed fire extinguishers to keep the invading units at a distance. Helicopters also landed on the roof of the parliament building, while many protesters gathered outside the building. People waved flags and called for the lifting of the state of emergency and chanted “Arrest Yoon Suk-yeol!”, referring to the president.
Scandals
Yoon, whose popularity has fallen in recent months, has struggled to push his agenda in an opposition-controlled parliament since taking office in 2022. For example, Yoon’s conservative People Power Party is in conflict with the liberal opposition Democratic Party over the budget law.
The president has been named in several scandals involving his wife and top officials. The opposition accuses his wife of corruption and political influence and demands an investigation, but the president has so far been able to avoid this.
South Korea’s national currency fell to 1,430.82 won for 1 US dollar, the lowest level since October 2022.