South Korea’s Yun defends martial law and government practices: NPR

SEOUL, South Korea — South Korea’s president on Thursday defended his decision to declare martial law last week as an act of governance and denied charges of insurrection.

In a speech to the nation, President Yoon Seok-yeol claimed that the opposition-controlled parliament was destroying the country’s free and democratic order, citing the reasons he gave for declaring martial law on December 3. repeated.

This was the president’s first public appearance in more than a week, revealing his motives and intentions in detail.

During a period of political turmoil, pressure on Yun rapidly increased. Military and government officials announced allegations of guilt against him. Hundreds of thousands of protesters spilled onto the streets. Investigators investigating his sedition charges attempted to raid his office and announced their intention to arrest him.

The main opposition party, the Democratic Party, pledged to introduce an impeachment bill against the president every week and filed a second motion on Thursday after the first one failed due to a boycott by the ruling party. Currently, an increasing number of members of the ruling party have announced their support for this.

In his speech Thursday, Yun, a former prosecutor general, tried to justify his actions and downplay their significance.

He claimed that the opposition party’s “legislative dictatorship” was paralyzing national politics and disrupting social order.

South Korea’s constitution states that the president can impose martial law “to maintain public safety and order in the event of war, armed conflict, or similar national emergency.”

However, the constitution does not specify that martial law can restrict the activities of the Diet.

Yun also claimed that his decision was nothing more than an “emergency measure in the form of martial law” aimed at warning the public about the “current crisis” and restoring constitutional order, adding that under the military dictatorship, He added that it is different from past martial law orders.

He said he sent a small number of troops to parliament as a “symbolic” gesture and to maintain order. He insisted he did not order his forces to block the lawmakers from entering. “It is clear that the purpose is not to dissolve the parliament or paralyze its functions,” he said.

However, testimony from officials mobilized to enforce martial law contradicts Yun’s claims. Lt. Gen. Kwak Jeong-geun, then commander of the Army’s Special Warfare Command, told Congress this week that Mr. Yoon gave direct orders to “break down the doors” of Congress and “drag people out.”

Many MPs said they were blocked from entering parliament and prevented from voting to lift martial law.

Using violence to neutralize constitutional government institutions is equivalent to rioting under South Korean criminal law. And the leaders of the rebellion could face the death penalty or life imprisonment.

At the end of his speech, Yun vowed to “proudly stand” against the impeachment and investigation and not to avoid legal and political responsibilities related to his decisions.

However, he also argued that his actions were “acts of governance” within the president’s legal authority and should not be subject to judicial decision-making.

Yun’s speech was immediately condemned in the National Assembly. Rep. Kim Min-seok, chairman of the martial law crisis special committee of the opposition Democratic Party, said this revealed the president’s “extreme delusions” and was tantamount to “declaring war against the people.”

Han Dong-hoon, leader of the ruling People’s Power Party (PPP), who had criticized martial law but avoided calling for Yoon’s impeachment, changed his stance after the speech. Mr. Han said that Mr. Yoon had “virtually confessed to the riot” and called on the Party Ethics Committee to expel the president from the party.

However, Kwon Sung-dong, the newly elected floor leader of the PPP, who has supported the Yoon administration over Mr. Han, said the party’s policy remains against impeaching Mr. Yoon.

Still, after Yun’s national address, two PPP lawmakers announced their support for impeachment, joining five others who had already pledged.

The impeachment motion is scheduled to be voted on Saturday. It needs eight votes from the PPP to pass.