South Korea faces a political crisis as President Yoon Suk Yeol, under criminal investigation for martial law declaration, defies resignation calls. Military dissent and economic concerns escalate tensions.
SEOUL (Reuters) -South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol is still commander in chief and there is no disruption to the U.S. alliance, the defence ministry said on Monday after it was revealed Yoon was under criminal investigation for declaring martial law last week.
Yoon's grip on power has come into question with dissent growing among senior military officers against the president, and his own party saying it would establish a task force to handle his eventual resignation.
While Yoon survived an impeachment vote in parliament on Saturday, his party's decision to delegate presidential authority to the prime minister has plunged the key U.S. ally into a constitutional crisis.
Yoon has refused calls, including some from within his own ruling party, to resign, but his future looked more uncertain over the weekend when Yonhap news agency reported he was under criminal investigation for alleged treason.
Police were also considering banning him from leaving the country, Yonhap and other media reported on Monday.
Prosecutors on Sunday arrested ex-Defence Minister Kim Yong-hyun over his alleged role in the declaration of martial law, Yonhap reported.
Yoon gave the military sweeping emergency powers on Dec. 3 to root out what he called "anti-state forces" and obstructionist political opponents. He rescinded the order six hours later, after parliament defied military and police cordons to vote unanimously against the decree.
Amid the backlash, multiple military officials, including the acting defence minister, have said they would not follow any new order to impose martial law again.
The main opposition Democratic Party has called for Yoon to be stripped of authority to control the military. The DP has also demanded the arrest of Yoon and any military officials implicated in the martial law fiasco.
Yoon's People Power Party (PPP) had established a task force to deal with, among other matters, "political stabilisation after martial law and (Yoon's) orderly early resignation", a spokesperson said on Monday.
On Sunday, PPP leader Han Dong-hoon said the president would be excluded from foreign and other state affairs, and Prime Minister Han Duck-soo would manage government affairs until Yoon eventually stepped aside.
That proposal has drawn criticism from the opposition, which says it is unconstitutional. It says Yoon must be impeached or resign and face legal prosecution, and plans to table another impeachment bill on Saturday.
Opposition leader Lee Jae-myung warned on Monday that the political crisis threatened to do irreversible harm to Asia's fourth-largest economy, major global supplier of memory chips.
South Korea's finance ministry and regulators said they would make all-out efforts to stabilise financial markets by deploying contingency plans and boosting liquidity by end-December.
MILITARY BACKLASH
In the latest sign of dissent within military ranks, the commander of South Korea's special forces said he was ordered to send his troops into parliament last week to stop a vote to reject martial law.
Colonel Kim Hyun-tae, the commanding officer of the 707th Special Missions Group, told reporters he took responsibility for his troops' actions but he was acting under orders from then defence minister Kim Yong-hyun.
"We were all victims who were used by the former defence minister," the colonel told reporters outside the defence ministry in Seoul.
He said he had not told the military about his plan to speak to the media out of fear he might be stopped.
Yoon's decision to declare emergency rule and grant the military sweeping powers stirred protests on the streets and raised alarm among Seoul's allies.
U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin scrapped plans to travel to South Korea and Secretary of State Antony Blinken called his South Korean counterpart, saying he expected the democratic process to prevail.
The United States has 28,500 troops stationed in South Korea as a legacy of the 1950-1953 Korean War.
The turmoil in Seoul comes at an important geopolitical moment in the region, with North Korea allegedly sending troops to help Russia's war against Ukraine amid growing military ties between Moscow and Pyongyang.
Donald Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff and senior adviser Jared Kushner will travel to Islamabad on Saturday for Pakistan-mediated talks ...
The ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon will be lengthened by three weeks, U.S. President Donald Trump said in a post on social media website...
Iran is pursuing a dual-track strategy in the Strait of Hormuz, balancing cooperation with South Korea while increasing military pressure, as tensi...
Around 14% of Central Asia’s population - about 12 million people - are facing food shortages, according to the United Nations. The...
The U.S. and the European Union are set to sign a memorandum of understanding on Friday to establish a partnership on the procurement and productio...
SoutSouth Korea’s national data protection agency said on Thursday it had imposed a significant fine on matchmaking service Duo following a cybersecurity failure that led to the leak of highly sensitive personal information.
The architect of the modern K-pop boom, Bang Si-hyuk, is facing arrest by South Korean police over claims he illegally gained millions in an investor fraud scheme.
South Korean President Lee Jae Myung begins crucial bilateral talks with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi on Monday, marking the first South Korean state visit to India in eight years.
North Korea fired ballistic missiles towards the sea off its eastern coast on Sunday (19 April), accelerating its weapons tests amid heightened regional tensions linked to the Iran war and renewed diplomatic signals toward the United States and South Korea.
The U.S. military has intercepted at least three Iranian-flagged tankers in Asian waters and is redirecting them away from their positions near India, Malaysia and Sri Lanka, shipping and security sources said on Wednesday, exclusively to Reuters.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards targeted three vessels, seizing two of them for alleged maritime violations and transferring them to Iranian shores, as U.S. President Donald Trump said Washington is extending its ceasefire with Iran until Tehran submits a proposal.
Two local trains collided head-on north of Copenhagen on Thursday (23 April), injuring 17 people, five of them critically, according to emergency services.
The U.S. military is redirecting at least three Iranian-flagged tankers after intercepting them in Asian waters near India, Malaysia and Sri Lanka, shipping and security sources said on Wednesday. Meanwhile, Tehran said U.S. breaches, blockades and threats are undermining “genuine negotiations.”
The European Union is preparing its 20th round of sanctions against Russia over the war in Ukraine. The measures are close to being approved, after earlier delays linked to energy concerns in Slovakia and Hungary eased following repairs to the Druzhba oil pipeline.
China has urged the European Union to take its concerns seriously over new cybersecurity and digital regulations, warning they could create difficulties for Chinese companies operating in Europe.
Russia and Ukraine have swapped prisoners of war, according to officials on both sides. Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said 193 prisoners, including soldiers and border guards, had been returned from Russia, some injured and facing criminal charges.
Türkiye and the United Kingdom on Thursday signed a wide-ranging strategic partnership agreement to boost bilateral cooperation, especially in defence. The deal, signed in London, signals a “new era” in relations between the two NATO allies.
The U.S. and the European Union are set to sign a memorandum of understanding on Friday to establish a partnership on the procurement and production of critical minerals, the U.S. State Department confirmed late on Thursday.
Russian emergency services have contained a major fire at the Tuapse oil refinery on the Black Sea coast, local officials said on Thursday, ending a four-day effort after a Ukrainian drone strike.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment