South Korean President Yun Seok-Yeol came under pressure from lawmakers and the public on Wednesday to resign or be impeached after she called for just hours earlier martial law that led to a military siege of Congress.
Yun's chief of staff and secretaries collectively offered to resign. Members of the presidential cabinet, including Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun, also faced calls for his resignation. All members of the South Korean State Council have reportedly announced their resignation.
On Tuesday night, Yun, who struggled to pass his policies through an opposition-dominated parliament, suddenly declared martial law and vowed to eliminate “anti-state” forces. However, martial law only took effect for about six hours after the National Assembly passed a resolution overturning the president's decision.
Martial law was officially lifted at a cabinet meeting around 4:30 a.m.
South Korean president lifts martial law after lawmakers reject the move
People watch a television screen showing a teleconference by South Korean President Yoon Seok-yeol at a bus terminal in Seoul, South Korea, Tuesday, December 3, 2024. (AP Photo/Ahn Young Jun)
Lawmakers have introduced a motion to impeach the president over his declaration of martial law.
On the same day, the liberal opposition Democratic Party, which has a majority in Congress, threatened that its members would impeach the president if he did not immediately resign.
“President Yoon Seok-Yeol's declaration of martial law is a clear violation of the constitution. It did not comply with any of the requirements of the declaration,” the Democratic Party said in a statement. “His declaration of martial law was originally invalid and a serious violation of the Constitution. This is a serious act of treason and the perfect basis for his impeachment.”
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South Korean President Yoon Seok-yeol speaks in a pre-recorded interview on KBS TV at the presidential palace in Seoul, South Korea, on Sunday, February 4, 2024. (South Korean presidential office, via AP, file)
To impeach a president, approval from two-thirds of the 300 members of Congress is required. The Democratic Party and other small opposition parties together hold 192 seats. However, when the National Assembly rejected Yun's declaration of martial law by a vote of 190-0, 18 members of Yun's ruling party, the People's Power Party, voted against the president's decision.
Han Dong-hoon, leader of the People's Power Party, criticized Yoon's martial law declaration as “unconstitutional.”
If Yoon is impeached, he will lose his constitutional powers until the Constitutional Court decides his fate. Prime Minister Han Deok-soo, who is the second-in-command of the South Korean government, will take over the presidential position.
South Korean President Yoon Seok-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 growing calls for Yun's Cabinet to resign, Han issued a message to the public asking for patience and calling on ministers to “continue to carry out their duties beyond this moment.”
Yun's declaration of martial law was the first in more than 40 years. There had been no military intervention since South Korea achieved true democracy in the late 1980s.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
