South Korea’s SEOUL (AP) Hours after President Yoon Suk Yeol ended the brief martial law that led to troops encircling the parliament before MPs decided to lift it, the biggest opposition party in South Korea on Wednesday urged Yeol to step down immediately or risk impeachment.
After failing to advance his agenda in the opposition-dominated parliament, Yoon declared emergency martial law on Tuesday night and vowed to eradicate anti-state elements. However, the National Assembly decided to overturn the president, therefore martial law was only in place for just six hours. During a Cabinet meeting at approximately 4:30 a.m., the declaration was formally lifted.
The Democratic Party, the liberal opposition party with a majority in the 300-seat parliament, announced on Wednesday that its members had agreed to demand Yoon’s immediate resignation or face impeachment.
The declaration of martial law by President Yoon Suk Yeol was blatantly unconstitutional. The Democratic Party said in a statement that it did not comply with any procedures to declare it. His initial declaration of martial law was unconstitutional and a serious constitutional infraction. His impeachment is warranted because it was a serious act of rebellion.
Two-thirds of the parliament, or 200 of its 300 members, would have to agree to impeach him. Together, the Democratic Party and several minor opposition parties hold 192 seats. However, according to National Assembly officials, roughly ten MPs from Yoon’s ruling People Power Party voted in favor of the parliament rejecting his proclamation of martial law by a vote of 190-0.
Yoon will lose his constitutional authority if he is impeached until the Constitutional Court makes a decision. His presidential duties would be assumed by Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, who is ranked second in the South Korean government.
Yoon’s declaration of martial law, the first in over 40 years, was reminiscent of South Korea’s military-backed governments, where officials periodically issued decrees allowing them to station combat troops, tanks, and armored vehicles on the streets or in public areas like schools in order to quell anti-government protests. Tuesday night was the first time such scenes of military intervention had occurred since South Korea became a true democracy in the late 1980s.
Following Yoon’s announcement, demonstrators gathered outside the parliamentary premises, and police officers and troops with rifles were swiftly sent to the building to prevent anyone from entering. Two or three helicopters circled over the Assembly site, and at least three helicopters, perhaps from the military, landed inside the grounds, according to an Associated Press photographer.
There have been no significant reports of violence. Following the parliamentary vote to end martial law, the troops and police officers were subsequently observed departing the National Assembly grounds. Even if we have painful memories of military takeovers, our public have undoubtedly seen today’s events and witnessed the military’s maturity, according to National Assembly Speaker Woo Won Shik.
The People Power Party is in power. Han Dong-hun fired Defense Minister Kim Yong Hyun, who he claimed suggested the martial law declaration to Yoon, and requested that Yoon give an explanation for his choice. The Ministry of Defense has not responded.
According to South Korean media, Yoon postponed his official agenda on Wednesday morning and received resignation offers from his presidential aides and secretaries. The reports were not immediately confirmed by the presidential office.
The president of South Korea may impose martial law in times of war, warlike conditions, or other similar national emergencies that call for the use of military force to impose restrictions on the freedom of the press, assembly, and other rights in order to preserve order, according to the country’s constitution. Many analysts wonder if South Korea is in this situation right now.
According to the constitution, if the National Assembly passes a majority vote calling for the lifting of martial law, the president is required to comply.
The White House in Washington stated that the events in Seoul were a major source of concern for the United States. According to a National Security Council spokesperson, President Joe Biden’s administration was in communication with the South Korean government and was not informed beforehand of the declaration of martial law.
The more than 27,000 American service troops stationed in South Korea were unaffected, according to Pentagon spokesman Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder.
The Democratic Party is attempting to impeach three top prosecutors, and Yoon’s government and ruling party are at odds with them over the budget bill for next year.
Yoon also characterized the opposition as blatant pro-North Korean anti-state forces who are robbing our folks of their freedom and happiness during his broadcast announcement. He didn’t go into detail. North Korea has not yet responded.
According to Natalia Slavney, research analyst at the Stimson Center’s 38 North website, which covers Korean politics, Yoon’s declaration of martial law was a significant democratic reversal that came after a concerning pattern of misuse since he assumed power in 2022.
Citing former President Park Geun-hye, who was removed from office and imprisoned for bribery and other offenses in 2017, Slavney stated that South Korea has a strong tradition of political plurality and is accustomed to large-scale demonstrations and prompt impeachments. Later on, she received a pardon.
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