South Korea faces political turmoil as opposition lawmakers move to impeach President Yoon Suk Yeol over his martial law declaration. Amid public outrage, Defence Minister Kim Yong-hyun resigns, and investigations into Yoon and officials escalate.
Yoon's declaration of martial law late on Tuesday sought to consolidate power, ban political activity and censor the media in Asia's fourth-largest economy and a key U.S. ally.
It sparked outrage in the streets and concern among South Korea's international allies.
Lawmakers of the opposition Democratic Party planned to seek a vote in parliament to impeach Yoon at about 7 p.m. (1000 GMT) on Saturday, a party spokesperson told reporters.
"The Yoon Suk Yeol regime's declaration of emergency martial law caused great confusion and fear among our people," Democratic Party lawmaker Kim Seung-won told the National Assembly earlier.
Yoon's ruling People Power Party is divided over the crisis but said it would oppose impeachment with the party in turmoil and two years left in Yoon's five-year term.
The Democratic Party needs at least eight of the 108 ruling-party lawmakers to back the bill for it to pass with a two-thirds majority in the 300-seat parliament.
Fighting for his political future, Yoon accepted the resignation of Defence Minister Kim Yong-hyun on Thursday and nominated his ambassador to Saudi Arabia, Choi Byung-hyuk, as a replacement, Yoon's office said.
Kim had recommended Yoon declare martial law on Tuesday, according to the interior minister, a senior military official and the opposition's filing to impeach Yoon.
Kim also ordered the deployment of troops to the parliament, Vice-Defence Minister Kim Seon-ho said, adding that he was unaware of the martial law order until Yoon declared it.
"I have fundamentally opposed the mobilisation of military forces under martial law and have expressed negative opinions about it," Kim Seon-ho told a parliament hearing on Thursday, apologising and taking responsibility for failing to prevent it.
South Korea's army chief has also offered to resign, the Yonhap news agency said.
The former defence minister now faces a travel ban as prosecutors investigate the attempt to impose martial law, broadcaster YTN said. Yoon and the interior minister were also being investigated, Yonhap said.
INSTABILITY ALARMS
Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba said Japan's "security situation may be fundamentally changed" in light of the instability in Seoul and North Korea's rising military assertiveness.
"What will happen to South Korea? There appears to be a great deal of domestic criticism and opposition," he told parliament, adding that Yoon's efforts to improve relations with Tokyo "must never be undermined".
There has been no reaction yet from North Korea to the drama in the South.
On Wednesday, Secretary of State Antony Blinken told Reuters the United States had not been made aware in advance of Yoon's declaration, while his deputy, Kurt Campbell, said Yoon had badly misjudged it.
The United States has 28,500 troops stationed in South Korea as a legacy of the 1950-1953 Korean War.
The commander of U.S. Forces-Korea, General Paul LaCamera, warned American troops to stay vigilant, avoid areas with protests, and tell superiors of travel plans in case "something unexpected" happens.
Yoon had been embraced by leaders in the West as a partner in the U.S.-led effort to unify democracies against growing authoritarianism in China, Russia and elsewhere.
But he caused unease among South Koreans by branding his critics "communist totalitarian and anti-state forces". In November, he denied wrongdoing in response to accusations of influence-peddling against him and his wife and he has taken a hard line against labour unions.
NIGHT OF CHAOS
The impeachment plan follows a night of chaos after Yoon declared martial law and armed troops attempted to force their way into the National Assembly building in Seoul, only to stand back when parliamentary aides sprayed them with fire extinguishers.
The commander of the martial law troops said he had no intention of wielding firearms against the public, and Kim, the vice defence minister, said no live ammunition had been provided to those troops.
"The people and the aides who protected parliament protected us with their bodies. The people won, and it's now time for us to protect the people," the Democratic Party's Kim said.
Many protesters said they feared a return to the dictatorships and martial law that marked much of South Korea's post-war period.
"For the sake of my children, this must be stopped no matter what," one protester, Kim Hye-Min, said on Thursday at a demonstration outside parliament. "We cannot go back to the 1970s."
The crisis rattled global financial markets and South Korea's benchmark KOSPI index. Currency dealers reported suspected state intervention on Wednesday to keep the won stable.
If the impeachment bill passes, South Korea's Constitutional Court will then decide whether to uphold the motion – a process that could take up to 180 days.
If Yoon were to be suspended from exercising power, Prime Minister Han Duck-soo would fill in as leader.
If Yoon resigned or was removed from office, a new election would be held within 60 days.
Yoon, a career prosecutor, squeezed out a victory in the tightest presidential election in South Korean history in 2022, riding a wave of discontent over economic policy, scandals and gender wars.
But his support ratings have been at around 20% for months and the opposition captured nearly two-thirds of parliament seats in an April election.
Storm Claudia, which brought violent weather to Portugal, has resulted in the deaths of three people and left dozens injured, authorities reported on ...
A landslide caused by heavy rainfall in Central Java has claimed the lives of 11 people, Indonesia's disaster management agency reported on Saturday. ...
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held a phone conversation on Saturday to discuss the situation in Gaza ...
Iraq’s election commission said on Saturday that objections to the parliamentary election results will not affect the preliminary outcomes....
Mexico’s President Claudia Sheinbaum has firmly ruled out any possibility of U.S. military intervention in her country, stressing that security coop...
The U.S. and South Korea revealed the details of a significant trade agreement on Friday, which includes a $150 billion investment from South Korea in the American shipbuilding sector and an additional $200 billion to be allocated across various industrial sectors.
Two weeks after U.S. President Donald Trump and South Korea's Lee Jae Myung met and announced they had resolved months of negotiations over tariffs and security issues, the two sides have yet to release any formal agreement.
China says it will make adjustments to the catalogue of drug-related precursor chemicals and will require licences for export of certain chemicals to the U.S., Canada and Mexico.
South Korean rescue teams have recovered a third body from the wreckage following the collapse of a large structure at a power station, local media reported on Sunday.
Britain’s King Charles III marks his 77th birthday. Unlike his predecessors, King Charles treats his actual birthday, on 14 November, as his main moment of reflection. This year, King Charles visited Wales—a decision that coincides with the overall spirit of his first three years on the throne.
The Azerbaijan embassy in Kyiv was damaged by debris from an Iskander missile during Russia’s overnight attack, which killed four people and injured dozens, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Friday.
Iran has strongly rejected as “unfounded and irresponsible” a joint statement by the foreign ministers of the Group of Seven (G7) about Tehran’s nuclear program and its alleged support of Russia in the war with Ukraine.
A night‑time attack by Israeli settlers on a mosque in the occupied West Bank village has drawn strong condemnation from the United Nations and raised alarm over a broader spike in settler‑linked violence.
A ministerial meeting was held in the capital of Georgia, Tbilisi, for the implementation of the Agreement on Strategic Partnership in the Development and Transmission of Green Energy between Azerbaijan, Georgia, Hungary, and Romania.
U.S. President Donald Trump purchased at least $82 million in corporate and municipal bonds between late August and early October, including new investments in sectors benefiting from his policies, according to financial disclosures made public on Saturday.
Thousands of climate demonstrators filled the streets of Belém on Saturday, marching loudly and peacefully to demand stronger action to protect the planet and to voice frustration at governments and the fossil fuel industry.
Storm Claudia, which brought violent weather to Portugal, has resulted in the deaths of three people and left dozens injured, authorities reported on Saturday. Meanwhile, in Britain, rescue teams were organising evacuations due to heavy flooding in Wales and England.
A landslide caused by heavy rainfall in Central Java has claimed the lives of 11 people, Indonesia's disaster management agency reported on Saturday. Rescue teams are still searching for a dozen individuals who remain missing.
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held a phone conversation on Saturday to discuss the situation in Gaza and the wider region, the Kremlin said.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment