South Korean parliamentarians are calling for President Yun Seok-Yeol's constitutional powers to be suspended after he briefly declared martial law earlier this week, raising the possibility of impeachment.
Opposition parties are calling for a vote in the Diet to impeach Yun on Saturday, calling his declaration of martial law an “unconstitutional, illegal rebellion or coup.”
President Yun declared martial law late Tuesday night, shocking democratic allies and plunging the East Asian country into chaos. South Korea's parliament voted to lift martial law just six hours later, but the event effectively froze the country's politics. Thousands of protesters have marched in the streets of Seoul since Wednesday, demanding Yoon's resignation and an investigation.
However, if the impeachment bill is passed, Achieving the necessary two-thirds majority would require support from some members of the president's People Power Party. The opposition parties that jointly submitted the impeachment motion have a total of 192 seats. The PPP has 108 members.
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Lee Jae-myung (bottom center), leader of South Korea's largest opposition party, the Democratic Party of Korea (bottom center), held a joint press conference with civil society and members of five opposition parties at the National Assembly in Seoul, South Korea, on Friday, chanting slogans criticizing the ruling People's Power Party. shout. , December 6, 2024. (Park Dong-ju/Yonhap News, Associated Press)
At a party meeting, Democratic Progressive Party leader Han Dong-hoon said it was important to immediately terminate Yun's presidential duties and powers, saying that Yun had “not threatened to endanger the Republic of Korea by attempting to impose martial law again.” “This poses a significant risk of extreme behavior that could expose people to serious risks.” And its people are at great risk. ”
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Han said he had received information that the president had ordered the arrest of unspecified politicians based on accusations of “anti-national activities” under martial law.
Han Dong-hoon (right), leader of South Korea's ruling People Power Party, speaks at a press conference at the National Assembly in Seoul, South Korea, on Friday, December 6, 2024. (Cho Sung-bong/News Associated Press)
Mr. Han heads a minority faction within the ruling party, whose 18 members voted with opposition lawmakers to overturn Mr. Yoon's martial law.
After China admits to violating its airspace, Japan says it will closely monitor China's military activities.
If Yoon is impeached, he will remain impeached until the Constitutional Court makes a decision on whether to remove him from office or restore his presidential powers.
Lee Jae-myung, leader of the main liberal opposition Democratic Party, said in a televised speech on Friday that it was important to suspend Yoon “as soon as possible.”
Protesters march to the presidential palace after a candlelight vigil against South Korean President Yoon Seok-yeol, Thursday, December 5, 2024, in Seoul, South Korea. (AP Photo/Ahn Young Jun)
Mr. Lee said that Mr. Yun's imposition of martial law amounted to “a rebellion and a self-coup.” He said Yun's actions had seriously damaged the country's image and paralyzed its foreign policy, pointing to criticism from the Biden administration and the cancellation of visits by foreign leaders.
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President Yoon has not responded to Han's comments. Furthermore, he has not appeared in public since announcing on television that martial law would be lifted.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
