A South Korean police officer stands in front of the Constitutional Court in Seoul, South Korea on Tuesday (December 17, 2024).
| Photo Credit: AP

South Korea’s acting leader vowed Tuesday (December 17, 2024) to convey to the world that things are back to normal following parliament’s impeachment of conservative President Yoon Suk Yeol, but rival parties began squabbling over the mechanics of a court ruling to determine whether to formally unseat or reinstate him.

The country’s liberal opposition-controlled parliament voted to impeach Mr. Yoon last Saturday (December 14, 2024) over his short-lived December 3 martial law imposition, suspending his presidential powers until the Constitutional Court determines whether to uphold or overturn the decision. If Mr. Yoon is dismissed, a national election must be held to pick his successor within two months.

Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, who became acting leader, has taken steps to reassure the US and other countries and stabilise markets. Presiding over a Cabinet Council meeting on Tuesday (December 17, 2024), Mr. Han said he will “continuously do my utmost to inform the international society that the Republic of Korea is fast regaining stability and maintain confidence with partners.”

But the country’s intense political strife appears to be far from over, as the rival parties began bickering over whether to fill three vacant justices’ seats at the Constitutional Court.

To formally end Mr. Yoon’s presidency, the nine-member court panel needs support from at least six justices. But since three seats remain vacant following retirements, a unanimous decision in favour of Mr. Yoon’s impeachment is required to throw him out of office for good.

Three of the court’s nine justices are directly appointed by the president. Three others are nominated by the Supreme Court head and another three by the National Assembly, and their formal appointments by the president has widely been a formality. The three seats that are currently open are to be nominated by the National Assembly – two by the Democratic Party and the other by Mr. Yoon’s ruling People Power Party.

The court can rule on Mr. Yoon’s case only with the current six justices. But the main liberal opposition Democratic Party, which led the impeachment efforts against Mr. Yoon, has said it would speed up the process of restoring the court’s nine-justice system to promote fairness and public confidence in its ruling.

But PPP floor leader Kweon Seong-dong, a Mr. Yoon loyalist, created a stir Tuesday (December 17, 2024) as he voiced his objection to a Democratic Party push to fill the three vacancies. He said it would be inappropriate for Mr. Han, the acting leader, to appoint justices nominated by parliament, saying such authorities solely rest with the president.

“An acting president can appoint Constitutional Court justices when there is a presidential vacancy, but not when the president’s duties are just suspended,” Kweon said.

Many observers say the court’s current six-member configuration is advantageous for Mr. Yoon’s chances to return to office, as it would only require a single justice rejecting the parliament impeachment. They note Cheong Hyungsik, one of the six justices, is a clear conservative who was directly appointed by Mr. Yoon.

The Democratic Party quickly dismissed Kweon’s argument as “absurd and utterly nonsensical” and urged PPP to abide by a November agreement between the rival parties to nominate the three Constitutional Court justices.

Party lawmaker and spokesperson Jo Seoung-lae said PPP has “blatantly revealed their true intention to obstruct the constitutional trial.”

There was no immediate response from Mr. Han, who during the Cabinet meeting stressed that the government would cooperate with the ruling and opposition parties to stabilize the economy.

There is no clear definition about what an acting president can and cannot do over the appointments of court justices. The Democratic party accuses PPP of trying to drag out the impeachment trial at the Constitutional Court, which has up to 180 days to determine Mr. Yoon’s fate.

Time is a crucial issue for Democratic Party leader Lee Jae-Myung, who is favoured by polls to win a presidential by-election in the event of Mr. Yoon’s ouster but grapples with his own legal troubles. Lee could possibly be prohibited from running for president if the appellate and Supreme courts uphold his lower court conviction for election law violation in November.

Mr. Yoon faces allegations of rebellion and abuse of power over his martial law introduction. Investigative authorities want him to appear for questioning later this week, but officials at Mr. Yoon’s office and residence on Monday (December 16, 2024) refused to receive requests for his appearance.

The martial law declaration, the first of its kind in more than 40 years, drew hundreds of troops who tried to encircle parliament and prevent lawmakers from voting on the decree. Many lawmakers still managed to get inside a National Assembly chamber and voted to overturn Mr. Yoon’s decree unanimously, forcing Mr. Yoon’s Cabinet to lift it.

Mr. Yoon’s decree, which harkened back to an era of past military-backed dictatorships, has sparked massive street protests calling for his ouster and resulted in his approval rating plummeting. Mr. Yoon’s defence minister, police chief and several other senior military commanders have been arrested over their roles in the martial law enforcement.

Supporters of Mr. Yoon worry that his early exit would severely hamper the country’s conservatives and cause them to likely lose a presidential by-election to the liberals as they did in 2017 when then-impeached conservative President Park Geun-hye was ousted and arrested over a corruption scandal.

South Korea’s ruling People Power Party leader Han Dong-hun speaks during a news conference at the National Assembly in Seoul on Monday (December 16, 2024) to announce his resignation after President Yoon Suk Yeol’s parliamentary impeachment.
| Photo Credit: AP

South Korean law enforcement authorities are pushing to summon impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol for questioning over his short-lived martial law decree as the Constitutional Court began its first meeting Monday (December 16, 2024) on Mr. Yoon’s case to determine whether to remove him from office or reinstate him.

A joint investigative team involving police, an anti-corruption agency and the Defence Ministry said it plans to convey a request to Mr. Yoon’s office that he appear for questioning on Wednesday (December 11, 2024), as they expand a probe into whether his ill-conceived power grab amounted to rebellion.

Mr. Yoon was impeached by the opposition-controlled National Assembly on Saturday (December 14, 2024) over his Dec. 3 martial law decree. His presidential powers will be suspended until the Constitutional Court decides whether to formally remove him from office or reinstate him. If Mr. Yoon is dismissed, a national election to choose his successor must be held within 60 days.

Mr. Yoon has justified his martial law enforcement as a necessary act of governance against the main liberal opposition Democratic Party that he described as “anti-state forces” bogging down his agendas and vowed to “fight to the end” against efforts to remove him from office.

Hundreds of thousands of protesters have poured onto the streets of the country’s capital, Seoul, in recent days, calling for Mr. Yoon’s ouster and arrest.

It remains unclear whether Mr. Yoon will grant the request by investigators for an interview. South Korean prosecutors, who are pushing a separate investigation into the incident, also reportedly asked Mr. Yoon to appear at a prosecution office for questioning on Sunday (December 15, 2024) but he refused to do so. Repeated calls to a prosecutors’ office in Seoul were unanswered.

Mr. Yoon’s presidential security service has also resisted a police attempt to search Mr. Yoon’s office for evidence.

The request came before the Constitutional Court met Monday (December 16, 2024) to discuss the case. The court has up to 180 days to rule. But observers say that a court ruling could come faster.

In the case of parliamentary impeachments of past presidents – Roh Moo-hyun in 2004 and Park Geun-hye in 2016 – the court spent 63 days and 91 days respectively before determining to reinstate Roh and dismiss Park.

Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, who became the country’s acting leader after Mr. Yoon’s impeachment, and other government officials have sought to reassure allies and markets after Mr. Yoon’s surprise stunt paralyzed politics, halted high-level diplomacy and complicated efforts to revive a faltering economy.

Democratic Party leader Lee Jae-myung urged the Constitutional Court to rule swiftly on Mr. Yoon’s impeachment and proposed a special council for policy cooperation between the government and parliament.

Lee, a firebrand lawmaker who drove a political offensive against Yoon’s government, is seen as the frontrunner to replace him. He lost the 2022 presidential election to Mr. Yoon by a razor-thin margin.

Kweon Seong-dong, floor leader of Mr. Yoon’s conservative People Power Party, separately criticized Lee’s proposal for the special council, saying that it’s “not right” for the opposition party to act like the ruling party.

Mr. Yoon’s impeachment, which was endorsed in parliament by some of his ruling People Power Party lawmakers, has created a deep rift within the party between Mr. Yoon’s loyalists and his opponents. On Monday (December 16, 2024), PPP chair Han Dong-hun, a strong critic of Mr. Yoon’s martial law, announced his resignation.

“If martial law had not been lifted that night, a bloody incident could have erupted that morning between the citizens who would have taken to the streets and our young soldiers,” Mr. Han told a news conference.

Mr. Yoon’s Dec. 3 imposition of martial law, the first of its kind in more than four decades, harkened back to an era of authoritarian leaders the country has not seen since the 1980s. Mr. Yoon was forced to lift his decree hours later after parliament unanimously voted to overturn it.

Mr. Yoon sent hundreds of troops and police officers to the parliament in an effort to stop the vote, but they withdrew after the parliament rejected Mr. Yoon’s decree. No major violence occurred.

Opposition parties have accused Mr. Yoon of rebellion. They say a president in South Korea is allowed to declare martial law only during wartime or similar emergencies and would have no right to suspend parliament’s operations even in those cases.

Seoul:

South Korea’s opposition leader on Sunday urged the Constitutional Court to expedite the process of formalising President Yoon Suk Yeol’s impeachment to ease the “suffering of the people” after his short-lived martial law decree. President Yoon was voted out of top office by lawmakers on Saturday over his “insurrectionary” suspension of civilian rule, which plunged Asia’s fourth-largest economy into some of its worst political turmoil in years.

After Saturday’s vote, Mr Yoon was suspended, with Prime Minister Han Duck-soo serving as interim leader. In a further attempt to stabilise the country’s leadership, the main opposition Democratic Party (DP) has announced it would not seek to impeach Mr Han for his involvement in Mr Yoon’s December 3 martial law decision.

What’s Happening In South Korea Now?

South Korea’s technocratic Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, who has stepped in as interim leader, moved on Sunday to reassure the country’s allies and calm financial markets. In his first address to the nation as acting president, Han vowed to “ensure stable governance.”

“I will devote all my strength and efforts to ensure stable governance,” the career bureaucrat said.

He also spoke with US President Joe Biden by phone. “South Korea will carry out its foreign and security policies without disruption and strive to ensure the South Korea-US alliance is maintained and developed steadfastly,” Mr Han told Mr Biden, according to a statement from his office.

As per the statement, Mr Biden told Mr Han that the ironclad US-South Korea alliance remained unchanged and Washington would work with Seoul to further develop and strengthen the alliance as well as trilateral cooperation including neighbouring Japan.

Per the White House’s statement, the US president “expressed his appreciation for the resiliency of democracy and the rule of law in the ROK (Republic of Korea) and reaffirmed the ironclad commitment of the United States to the people of the ROK.”

“President Biden expressed his confidence that the Alliance will remain the linchpin for peace and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific region during Acting President Han’s tenure,” it added. 

Mr Han also convened his cabinet and National Security Council shortly after Saturday’s impeachment vote and vowed to maintain military readiness to prevent any breach of national security. 

The 75-year-old interim leader will govern the country for a maximum of eight months, depending on how long the court deliberates on the impeachment motion and what it decides to do. 

When Will The New Government Form?

After losing the impeachment vote, Mr Yoon has been suspended from the office. The country’s top court has 180 days to rule on his future.

In its last such deliberation involving former President Park Geun-hye — who was impeached by parliament over corruption and incompetence allegations — the Constitutional Court took 92 days to review the motion and remove her from office.

The court reportedly requires six votes in favour of impeachment from its nine-member bench. However, with three vacant seats due to disagreements between the ruling and opposition parties, the court must vote unanimously to support the impeachment motion or fill the empty positions in the coming weeks.

If the court confirms Mr Yoon’s removal, a snap election will be held within 60 days. And unlike in typical elections, there will be no 60-day transition period for the president-elect, with the victor taking the oath the day after the vote.

Who Could Be South Korea’s Next President?

According to analysts, Lee Jae-myung, leader of the main opposition Democratic Party, is the clear frontrunner for the presidency. 

“Lee has demonstrated strong leadership during the turbulent days since the martial law declaration and played a key role in passing the impeachment motion,” attorney and political columnist Yoo Jung-hoon said, according to the AFP report.

Mr Lee rose from humble beginnings as a “factory boy” and a teenage school dropout supporting his family. He has leveraged his rags-to-riches story to build political stardom. In the 2022 election, he lost to Mr Yoon by the narrowest vote margin in South Korea’s electoral history, with a gap of around 0.7 per cent.

But his bid for the presidency has been overshadowed by a series of scandals, including a court ruling in November finding him guilty of election law violations, resulting in a suspended sentence. If the verdict is upheld, it would strip him of eligibility to run for office.

From Mr Yoon’s conservative People Power Party, party leader Han Dong-hoon and Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon are seen as potential contenders.

South Korea’s main opposition Democratic Party leader Lee Jae-myung speaks during a press conference on removal of President Yoon Suk Yeol from office, at the party office at the National Assembly building in Seoul, South Korea, Sunday, Dec. 15, 2024.
| Photo Credit: AP

South Korea’s Opposition leader offered on Sunday (December 15, 2024) to work with the government to ease the political tumult as officials sought to reassure allies and markets, a day after the Opposition-controlled Parliament voted to impeach conservative President Yoon Suk Yeol over a short-lived attempt to impose martial law.

Liberal Democratic Party leader Lee Jae-myung, whose party holds a majority in the National Assembly, urged the constitutional court to rule swiftly on Mr. Yoon’s impeachment and proposed a special council for cooperation between the government and Parliament.

Mr. Yoon’s powers have been suspended until the court decides whether to remove him from office or reinstate him. If Mr. Yoon is dismissed, a national election to choose his successor must be held within 60 days.

Mr. Lee, who has led a fierce political offensive against Mr. Yoon’s embattled government, is seen as the frontrunner to replace him.

He told a televised news conference that a swift court ruling would be the only way to “minimise national confusion and the suffering of people.”

The court will meet to begin considering the case on Monday (December 16, 2024), and has up to 180 days to rule. But observers say that a court ruling could come faster. In the case of Parliamentary impeachments of past Presidents — Roh Moo-hyun in 2004 and Park Geun-hye in 2016, the court spent 63 days and 91 days respectively before determining to reinstate Roh and dismiss Mr. Park.

Mr. Lee also proposed a national council where the government and the National Assembly would work together to stabilise state affairs, and said his party won’t seek to impeach the Prime Minister, a Mr. Yoon appointee who’s now serving as acting President.

“The Democratic Party will actively cooperate with all parties to stabilize state affairs and restore international trust,” Mr. Lee said. “The National Assembly and government will work together to quickly resolve the crisis that has swept across the Republic of Korea.”

It wasn’t immediately clear how the governing People Power Party would react to Mr. Lee’s proposal. Kim Woong, a former PPP lawmaker, accused Mr. Lee of attempting to exert power over state affairs.

The Democratic Party has used its Parliamentary majority to impeach the Justice Minister and the chief of the national police over the martial law decree, and previously said it was also considering impeaching Prime Minister Han Duck-soo.

There was no immediate response from Mr. Han, a seasoned bureaucrat.

Upon assuming his role as acting leader, Mr. Han ordered the military to bolster its security posture to prevent North Korea from launching provocations. He also asked the Foreign Minister to inform other countries that South Korea’s major external policies will remain unchanged, and the Finance Minister to work to minimise potential negative impacts on the economy by the political turmoil.

On Sunday (Dec. 15), Mr. Han had a phone call with U.S. President Joe Biden, discussing the political situation in South Korea and regional security challenges including North Korea’s nuclear program. Mr. Biden expressed his appreciation for the resiliency of democracy in South Korea and reaffirmed “the ironclad commitment” of the United States, according to both governments.

Mr. Yoon’s Dec. 3 imposition of martial law, the first of its kind in more than four decades, lasted only six hours, but has caused massive political tumult, halted diplomatic activities and rattled financial markets. Mr. Yoon was forced to lift his decree after Parliament unanimously voted to overturn it.

Mr. Yoon sent hundreds of troops and police officers to the Parliament in an effort to stop the vote, but they withdrew after the Parliament rejected Mr. Yoon’s decree. No major violence occurred.

Opposition parties have accused Mr. Yoon of rebellion, saying a President in South Korea is allowed to declare martial law only during wartime or similar emergencies and would have no right to suspend Parliament’s operations even in those cases.

Mr. Yoon has rejected the charges and vowed to “fight to the end”. He said the deployment of troops to Parliament was aimed to issue a warning to the Democratic Party, which he called an “anti-state force” that abused its control of Parliament by holding up the government’s budget bill for next year and repeatedly pushing to impeach top officials.

Law enforcement institutions are investigating possible rebellion and other allegations. They’ve arrested Mr. Yoon’s Defence Minister and police chief and two other high-level figures.

Mr. Yoon has immunity from most criminal prosecution as President, but that doesn’t extend to allegations of rebellion or treason. He’s been banned from leaving South Korea, but observers doubt that authorities will detain him because of the potential for clashes with his Presidential security service.

Mr. Lee called for authorities to speed up their probes and said that an independent investigation by a special prosecutor should be launched as soon as possible. Last week, the National Assembly passed a law calling for an investigation led by a special prosecutor.

“Individuals and institutions involved in this act of rebellion should fully cooperate with the investigations,” Mr. Lee said.

A participant holds a paper during a rally to demand South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol’s impeachment outside the National Assembly in Seoul, South Korea, on December 13, 2024.
| Photo Credit: AP

A defiant South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol faces a second impeachment vote on Saturday (December 14, 2024) over his short-lived attempt to impose martial law, a move that shocked the country, split his party and imperilled his presidency half way through his term.

His move to impose military rule on December 3 was rescinded barely six hours later after parliament defied troops and police to vote against the decree, but it plunged the country into a constitutional crisis and triggered widespread calls for him to step down for breaking the law.

Opposition parties plan to hold an impeachment vote at 4 p.m. (12.30 p.m. IST) on Saturday, with large demonstrations planned ahead of the vote.

First impeachment failed

Mr. Yoon’s conservative People Power Party boycotted the first impeachment vote a week earlier, preventing a quorum.

Since then, PPP leader Han Dong-hoon has urged party members to vote for impeachment on Saturday, and at least seven PPP members have said they would vote to impeach.

The opposition parties control 192 of the 300 seats in the single-chamber parliament so they need at least eight PPP votes to reach the two-thirds threshold for impeachment.

Ahn Cheol-soo, a PPP lawmaker among those backing Mr. Yoon’s impeachment, said in a Facebook post on Saturday that he would vote for impeachment “for the sake of swift stabilisation of people’s livelihood, economy and diplomacy.”

The PPP floor leader said on Friday, however, that the party’s stance is still to oppose impeachment.

PPP lawmakers are due to meet on Saturday morning to decide whether to change that position.

If impeached, Mr. Yoon would lose authority but remain in office until the Constitutional Court either removes or reinstates him. In the meantime, Prime Minister Han Duck-soo would serve as acting president.

If the court removes Mr. Yoon or he resigns, a presidential election must be held within 60 days.

Mr. Yoon is separately under criminal investigation for alleged insurrection over the martial law declaration and authorities have banned him from travelling overseas.

He has not signalled a willingness to resign and in a speech on Thursday vowed he would “fight to the end” and defended the martial law decree as necessary to overcome political deadlock and protect the country from domestic politicians who are undermining democracy.

Mr. Yoon, president of Asia’s fourth-largest economy, hopes political allies will rally to support him, but the fiery remarks appeared to find mixed reception among PPP lawmakers.

A Gallup Korea poll on Friday had two-thirds of supporters of Mr. Yoon’s party opposing the impeachment, though three-quarters of all respondents supported it.

Elected in 2022, Mr. Yoon was widely welcomed in Washington and other Western capitals for his rhetoric defending global democracy and freedom, but critics said that masked growing problems at home.

He clashed with opposition lawmakers that he has labelled as “anti-state forces” and press freedom organisations have criticized his heavy-handed approach to media coverage that he deems negative.

The crisis and ensuing uncertainty shook financial markets and threatened to undermine South Korea’s reputation as a stable, democratic success story.

South Korean shares rose for a fourth straight session on Friday on hopes that the political uncertainty would ease after this weekend’s parliamentary impeachment vote.

A person pushes an effigy in a cage during a rally calling for the impeachment of South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, who declared martial law, which was reversed hours later, in Seoul, South Korea, December 12, 2024.
| Photo Credit: REUTERS

South Korea’s Parliament says the country’s six opposition parties have submitted a new joint motion to impeach President Yoon Suk Yeol over his declaration of martial law.

The National Assembly said the main Opposition Democratic Party and five smaller Opposition parties submitted the impeachment motion on Thursday (December 12, 2024) afternoon.

The parties say they aim put the motion to a floor vote on Saturday (December 14, 2024).

Mr. Yoon’s short-lived Dec. 3 martial law declaration has triggered political chaos and large protests calling for his ouster. The Democratic Party has argued that Mr. Yoon’s decree amounted to rebellion.

Earlier Thursday, Mr. Yoon defended his decree as an act of governance and denied rebellion charges.

If Mr. Yoon is impeached, his presidential powers would be suspended until the Constitutional Court decides whether to remove him from office or restore his powers. If he is dismissed, a new presidential election would be required within 60 days.

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol delivers an address to the nation at the Presidential Office in Seoul, South Korea, December 12, 2024.
| Photo Credit: via Reuters

South Korea’s president defended his martial law decree as an act of governance and denied rebellion charges Thursday (December 12, 2024), rejecting the opposition-led impeachment attempts against him and investigations into last week’s move.

Yoon Suk Yeol’s televised statement came hours before the main liberal opposition Democratic Party submits a new impeachment motion against Mr. Yoon. The opposition party plans to put the motion on a floor vote this Saturday (December 14, 2024).

Its earlier attempt to impeach Mr. Yoon fell through last Saturday, with ruling party lawmakers boycotting a vote at the National Assembly.

ALSO READ: How will martial law flip-flop affect S. Korea?

Mr. Yoon’s December 3 martial law declaration, the first of its kind in more than 40 years in South Korea, has generated political chaos and large protests calling for his ouster. The decree brought hundreds of armed troops attempting to encircle parliament and raiding the election commission, though no major violence or injuries occurred, and he was forced to lift it about six hours later.

“I will fight to the end, to prevent the forces and criminal groups that have been responsible for paralyzing the country’s government and disrupting the nation’s constitutional order from threatening the future of the Republic of Korea,” Mr. Yoon said.

Warning to opposition party

Mr. Yoon, a conservative, said his martial law introduction was meant to issue a warning to the main liberal opposition Democratic Party, which he said has been paralysing state affairs and destroying the country’s constitutional order. He said the deployment of less than 300 soldiers to the National Assembly was designed to maintain order, not dissolving or paralysing it.

Mr. Yoon called the Democratic Party “a monster” and “anti-state forces,” which he said repeatedly tried to use its legislative muscle to impeach top officials, undermine government budget bills and sympathize with North Korea.

“The opposition is now doing a knife dance of chaos, claiming that the declaration of martial law constitutes to an act of rebellion. But was it really?” Mr. Yoon said.

Act of governance

Mr. Yoon said his martial law decree was an act of governance that cannot be the subject of investigations and doesn’t amount to rebellion.

It’s unclear how Mr. Yoon’s statement would affect his fate. Earlier Thursday, the leader of his own conservative party, Han Dong-hun, said Mr. Yoon was making it clear he had no willingness to step down voluntarily and called for party members to vote in favour of his impeachment at the upcoming National Assembly vote.

Opposition parties and many experts say the martial law decree was unconstitutional. They say a president is by law allowed to declare martial law only during wartime or similar emergency situations, but South Korea wasn’t in such a predicament. They argue that deploying troops to seal the National Assembly to suspend its political activities amounted to rebellion because the constitution doesn’t allow a president to use the military to suspend parliament in any situation.

Mr. Yoon’s statement was seen as an about-face from his previous position. Last Saturday, Mr. Yoon apologised over the martial law decree, saying that he won’t avoid legal or political responsibility for it. He said he would leave it to his party to chart a course through the country’s political turmoil, “including matters related to my term in office.”

Police search

On Wednesday, Mr. Yoon’s office resisted a police attempt to search the compound.

The main focus of the investigation is finding whether Mr. Yoon and other top military and government officials involved in imposing martial law committed rebellion. A conviction for rebellion carries a maximum penalty of death.

Earlier this week, Mr. Yoon’s former defence minister was arrested on allegations of playing a key role in a rebellion and committing abuse of power. He became the first person formally arrested over the martial law decree.

Kim Yong Hyun, one of Mr. Yoon’s close associates, has been accused of recommending martial law to Mr. Yoon and sending troops to the National Assembly to block lawmakers from voting on it. Enough lawmakers eventually managed to enter a parliament chamber and they unanimously rejected Mr. Yoon’s decree, forcing the Cabinet to lift it before daybreak on December 4.

Seoul:

Defending his shock decision last week to declare martial law, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol on Thursday lashed out at his political opponents as “anti-state forces” and said suspension of civilian rule was needed to investigate the election commission, which was “hacked” by North Korea. Mr Yoon said his short-lived martial law order was a legal move to protect democracy.

The President’s comments came as the leader of his own People Power Party (PPP) said Mr Yoon had shown no signs of resigning and must be impeached.

Mr Yoon, who is likely to face the second impeachment vote in parliament on Saturday, vowed to fight “until the very last minute”. This would be the second impeachment vote against the President after the first one, a week ago, failed because most of the ruling party boycotted the vote.

“I apologize again to the people who must have been surprised and anxious due to the martial law,” he said in a lengthy address broadcast on television.

Trying to justify his move of declaring emergency rule in the first place, the President said the “criminal groups” that have paralysed state affairs and disrupted the rule of law must be stopped at all costs from taking over the government. 

“Please trust me in my warm loyalty to the people,” he said adding that the National Election Commission of South Korea was hacked by North Korea last year but the independent agency refused to cooperate in an investigation and inspection of its system to safeguard integrity.

Mr Yoon states the refusal was enough to raise questions about the integrity of the April 2024 election and led him to declare martial law.

The President’s People Power Party suffered a crushing defeat in the April election, allowing the main opposition, the Democratic Party, to get overwhelming control of the single-chamber assembly.

“The National Assembly, dominated by the large opposition party, has become a monster that destroys the constitutional order of liberal democracy,” Mr Yoon said in the televised address.

But, he said, he would “not avoid legal and political responsibility regarding the declaration of martial law”.

Criminal Probe Against The President

The South Korean President is under criminal investigation for alleged insurrection over the botched December 3 martial law declaration that sparked the biggest political crisis in Asia’s fourth-largest economy in decades. Lawmakers broke through a police cordon, some by scaling the fence, to enter the country’s parliament and demand the President rescind the emergency decree within hours of the declaration.

A probe into last week’s turmoil has swiftly gathered pace, with police on Wednesday attempting to raid the President’s office. He has also been banned from foreign travel as part of an “insurrection” probe into his inner circle over the dramatic events of last week that stunned South Korea’s allies.

The former interior minister and the general in charge of the martial law operation are also barred from foreign travel. Prosecutors have, meanwhile, arrested former Defence Minister Kim Yong-hyun who is accused of suggesting to Mr Yoon that he impose martial law. Two top law informant officials have also been taken into custody as part of the ongoing probe. 

The main opposition Democratic Party, meanwhile, warned it would file legal complaints for insurrection against the presidential staff and security if they continued to obstruct law enforcement. The opposition is also another impeachment motion against the President on Saturday, but it needs eight members of the PPP to vote with them to oust Mr Yoon. 

The President’s party, which backed him during the first impeachment vote, said it would support the Saturday motion as Mr Yoon has not tendered his resignation as he “had to be stripped of power”.

Just before Yoon’s televised address, PPP leader Han Dong-hoon said Yoon had to be stripped of power and the only way to accomplish that was for the party to back the impeachment bill.

A traffic police office walks near the National Assembly as a rally demanding South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol’s impeachment takes place, in Seoul, South Korea, on December 10, 2024.
| Photo Credit: AP

Yonhap news agency says police are searching President Yoon Suk Yeol’s office.

Yonhap says the search is happening on Wednesday (December 11, 2024) over Mr. Yoon’s December 3 martial law declaration.

Police didn’t immediately confirm the report.

The reported search happens as the country’s main law enforcement institutions are focusing on finding whether Mr. Yoon and others involved in the December 3 martial law imposition committed rebellion.

South Korea’s two highest police officers have been detained to be investigated for their roles in enforcing President Yoon Suk Yeol’s short-lived martial law decree last week, police said Wednesday (December 11, 2024).

The development comes hours before the main liberal opposition Democratic Party submits a new motion to impeach Mr. Yoon as the country’s main law enforcement institutions expand their investigation into whether the President’s declaration amounted to rebellion. The first impeachment attempt failed last Saturday when the ruling party boycotted the vote. The Democratic Party said it aims to put the new motion to a vote on Saturday (December 14, 2024).

Mr. Yoon’s ill-conceived power grab has paralyzed South Korean politics, frozen its foreign policy, and rattled financial markets, greatly reducing his chances of completing his five-year term and casting a turbulent shadow over one of Asia’s most robust democracies.

After last week’s impeachment motion fell through, the leader of Mr. Yoon’s conservative party pledged to arrange his stable exit from power, saying the party will coordinate with Cabinet members over state affairs and that Mr. Yoon will be sidelined from duties during a transition to an early election.

However, the plans have been widely criticised as unrealistic and unconstitutional. The constitution explicitly states that impeachment is the sole method for suspending presidential powers and that the authority to command the military rests solely with the President. The Defence Ministry said this week that Yoon remains in charge of the country’s military forces.

Earlier Wednesday (December 11, 2024), Mr. Yoon’s former Defence Minister, Kim Yong Hyun, was arrested after a Seoul court approved a warrant for him on allegations of playing a key role in a rebellion and committing abuse of power. Mr. Kim became the first person arrested over the December 3 martial law decree.

Police said National Police Agency Commissioner General Cho Ji Ho and Kim Bong-sik, head of the metropolitan police agency of the capital, Seoul, were being held at Seoul’s Namdaemun police station.

They have been investigated for their roles in deploying police forces to the National Assembly in an attempt to block lawmakers from entering the Parliament to vote to lift Mr. Yoon’s martial law decree, which was abruptly announced on the night of December 3.

The Assembly was also encircled by heavily armed troops, which military commanders say were deployed on the orders of the former Defence Minister. But enough lawmakers eventually managed to enter a parliament chamber and unanimously rejected Yoon’s decree, forcing the Cabinet to lift it before daybreak on December 4.

During a parliamentary hearing Tuesday (December 10, 2024), Kwak Jong-keun, commander of the Army Special Warfare Command whose troops were sent to Parliament, testified that he received direct instructions from Kim Yong Hyun to obstruct lawmakers from entering the Assembly’s main chamber. Kwak said the purpose of Mr. Kim’s instructions was to prevent the 300-member parliament from gathering the 150 votes necessary to overturn Yoon’s martial law order.

Mr. Kwak said Yoon later called him directly and asked for the troops to “quickly destroy the door and drag out the lawmakers who are inside.” Mr. Kwak said he discussed Yoon’s order with the commander at the scene and that they concluded there was nothing that could be done, ruling out the possibility of threatening the lawmakers by shooting blanks or cutting off electricity.

At the same hearing, senior officer Kim Dae-woo of the military’s counterintelligence agency said his commander, Yeo In-hyung, asked him if an army bunker in Seoul had space to detain politicians and other figures after martial law was imposed. Yeo is considered a close associate of Kim Yong Hyun. Last week, Hong Jang-won, a deputy director of the country’s spy agency, said Mr. Yoon ordered him to help Yeo’s command to detain some of his political rivals but he ignored the president’s order.

Mr. Kwak and Mr. Yeo are among those who face opposition-raised rebellion charges along with Mr. Yoon and Mr. Kim, and the Defence Ministry suspended them last week.

If Mr. Yoon is impeached, his presidential powers would be suspended until the Constitutional Court decides whether to restore his powers or remove him from office. If he is dismissed from office, a new presidential election would be required.

Opposition parties and many experts say the martial law decree was unconstitutional. They say a President is by law allowed to declare martial law only during “wartime, war-like situations or other comparable national emergency states” and South Korea wasn’t in such a situation. They argue that deploying troops to seal the National Assembly to suspend its political activities amounted to rebellion because the South Korean Constitution doesn’t allow a President to use the military to suspend Parliament in any situation.

In his martial law announcement, the conservative Mr. Yoon stressed a need to rebuild the country by eliminating “shameless North Korea followers and anti-state forces,” a reference to his liberal rivals who control Parliament. Since taking office in 2022, Mr. Yoon has had near-constant friction with the main liberal opposition Democratic Party, which introduced motions to impeach some of his top officials and launched a political offensive over scandals involving Yoon and his wife.

On Wednesday (December 11, 2024), North Korea’s state news agency for the first time reported about the political turmoil and street protests triggered by Mr. Yoon’s martial law decree. The report mostly attempted to explain the South Korean events though it used its typical abusive language like calling Mr. Yoon “a traitor” and his military “gangsters.”

Many experts say North Korea is sensitive to the domestic spread of news on massive anti-government protests in foreign countries because its own people have no official access to international news and could be affected by such events.

Protesters wear masks depicting South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, outgoing Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun, People Power Party’s leader Han Dong-hoon and Choo Kyung-ho at a rally calling for the impeachment of South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, who declared martial law, which was reversed hours later, near the National Assembly in Seoul, South Korea, December 7, 2024.
| Photo Credit: Reuters

South Korea’s former Defence Minister was arrested Sunday (December 8, 2024), local media reported, a day after President Yoon Suk Yeol survived an impeachment vote over his calamitous attempt to impose martial law.

The motion failed due to a boycott of the vote by Mr. Yoon’s party, even though huge crowds braved freezing temperatures in another night of protests outside parliament in Seoul to demand the President’s ouster.

Kim Yong-hyun had already resigned as Defence Minister after the brief suspension of civilian rule late on Tuesday by Mr. Yoon that saw soldiers and helicopters sent to parliament.

Mr. Yoon was forced to rescind the order hours later and parliament voted down his decree.

Mr. Kim had already been slapped with a travel ban.

Police have launched an investigation into Mr. Yoon, Mr. Kim and others for alleged insurrection.

The prosecutors’ office was not immediately available for comment on Mr. Kim’s arrest, reported by the Yonhap news agency and other local media outlets Sunday morning.

Boycott

Opposition parties proposed the impeachment motion, which needed 200 votes in the 300-member parliament to pass, but a near-total boycott by Mr. Yoon’s People Power Party (PPP) doomed it to failure.

The PPP said after the vote that it had blocked the impeachment to avoid “severe division and chaos”, adding that it would “resolve this crisis in a more orderly and responsible manner”.

Party leader Han Dong-hoon said that the party had “effectively obtained” Yoon’s promise to step down, and said until this happened he would “be effectively excluded from his duties”, leaving the Prime Minister and party to manage state affairs.

The failure of the impeachment motion came as a huge blow to the massive crowds — numbering 150,000 according to police, one million according to organisers — demonstrating outside parliament.

National Assembly speaker Woo Won-shik called the PPP’s walkout “a failure to engage in the democratic process” on the part of the ruling party.

“Even though we didn’t get the outcome we wanted today, I am neither discouraged nor disappointed because we will get it eventually,” protester Jo Ah-gyeong, 30, said Saturday.

“I’ll keep coming here until we get it,” she told AFP.

‘Politically dead’

The opposition has already vowed to try to impeach Mr. Yoon again as soon as Wednesday, and many protesters vowed to continue demonstrations next weekend.

“I will impeach Yoon Suk Yeol, who has become the worst risk for South Korea, at any cost,” opposition leader Lee Jae-myung said.

Before the vote, Mr. Yoon, 63, had apologised for the turmoil but said he would leave it to his party to decide his fate.

“I caused anxiety and inconvenience to the public. I sincerely apologise,” he said in the televised address, his first public appearance in three days.

He said he would “entrust the party with measures to stabilise the political situation, including my term in office”.

The backing of PPP lawmakers came despite party head Han — who was allegedly on an arrest list on Tuesday night — saying Mr. Yoon must go.

Only three PPP lawmakers — Ahn Cheol-soo, Kim Yea-ji and Kim Sang-wook — voted in the end.

The failure of the impeachment motion “means a more protracted political crisis,” Vladimir Tikhonov, professor of Korean Studies at the University of Oslo, told AFP.

“We will have a politically dead President — basically unable to govern any longer — and hundreds of thousands coming to the streets every week until Mr. Yoon is removed,” he said.