Seoul, South Korea — As South Korea continues to move forward in the direction it should take following President Yoon Seok-Yeol’s declaration of martial law last week, South Korea has responded to this shocking move, even though the president insists that it was a “highly political decision.” Political parties are still debating whether to impeach him.
After the first impeachment vote held last weekend ended with members of the ruling People’s Power Party leaving their seats before the vote, there is a possibility that Yoon will face a second impeachment vote on Saturday. .
The public’s reaction has been complex and diverse, reflecting South Korea’s deep political, social, and generational divides. But overall, there is a national consensus that, whatever the president’s motives, placing the country under martial law is an unacceptable act.
“It was an unthinkable, unimaginable situation,” Seo Jeong-keun, a professor at Seoul’s Kyung Hee University, told ABC News.
“President Yoon tried to suspend the functioning of the National Assembly. He ordered the removal of members of the National Assembly, so he could be charged with treason,” Seo said, citing testimony from Lieutenant General Kwak Jeong-geun, who oversaw the special committee. mentioned and explained. On the night martial law was declared, troops were dispatched to the Diet.
Demonstrators take part in a protest calling for the resignation of South Korean President Yoon Seok-yeol on a road near the National Assembly in Seoul on December 12, 2024.
Anthony Wallace/AFP via Getty Images
Under South Korea’s constitution, police have the power to arrest a sitting president while he is in office if he is accused of rebellion.
In an unexpected speech on Thursday, Mr. Yoon vowed to “fight until the last moment” and said he had no intention of disrupting “constitutional order” when he sent hundreds of troops into the National Assembly on December 3. said.
“My purpose was to inform the public of the heinous anti-national acts of a huge opposition group,” Yoon said.
To justify his actions, Yun listed numerous grievances against opposition members. He claimed to have revitalized South Korea’s much-needed nuclear power sector and cut funding for efforts to combat drug traffickers, criminals and foreign spies, including North Korean-led provocations.
Earlier this year, the opposition Democratic Party stripped the National Intelligence Service of decades of anti-espionage investigation authority and transferred it to the police, which often lacks the capacity to investigate North Korean provocations. people agree.
Mr. Yun’s government has been stalled since taking power in 2022 due to continued impeachment attempts by the opposition targeting key members of the government.
On December 11, 2024, South Korean Prime Minister Han Do-soo (C) attends a plenary session during a question-and-answer session regarding the declaration of martial law at the National Assembly in Seoul.
Jung Young Jae/AFP via Getty Images
The Democratic Party also impeached a number of prosecutors and judges involved in cases in which party leader Lee Jae-myung was personally accused while he was mayor and governor. Mr. Lee is currently on trial on five criminal charges, including corruption, bribery, subordination, and illegally transferring funds to North Korea.
Kang Won-taek, a professor at Seoul National University, said, “It is true that the opposition party put pressure on the government in an unprecedented way, but it was within the law and authority.”This measure is simply political. said.
Many analysts in Seoul agree that Lee’s time is ticking, as he would be disqualified from running for president if he were found guilty of these charges. I am doing it. That is why the opposition parties are now pursuing him at full speed. If Lee is elected president, he will be immune from criminal prosecution by law.
Majority Democrats on Thursday filed a second motion to impeach the president after warning that they would push for impeachment every week until it passed. Democratic Party lawmaker Kim Min-seok called President Yoon’s speech a “declaration of war against the nation” and called it delusional.
South Korean President Yun Seok-Yeol addresses the nation at the presidential palace in Seoul, South Korea on December 12, 2024.
South Korean presidential office, via Reuters
Mr. Yoon faces serious factional divisions within his own ruling party. Han Dong-hoon, leader of the People’s Power Party, is currently in favor of impeachment.
While other members of the ruling party angrily shouted that impeachment was just Han’s personal opinion and that it was “too early to define it as rebellion,” Han said, “There is no other option.” Last Saturday, all but three members of the ruling party refused to vote, avoiding an impeachment vote, but future votes are expected to be close.
If Yin is impeached on Saturday, he will be immediately suspended from office, but it could take up to six months for the Constitutional Court to decide whether he should be reinstated or removed from office.
Impeachment requires the presence of at least seven judges and the consent of two-thirds of the Constitutional Court judges. Currently, the Constitutional Court has only six members.
Dr. Lee Jun-han of Incheon National University told ABC News, “Realistically speaking, if the Constitutional Court were to consist of six judges as it is now, the lawsuit would be dismissed.” Based on past precedent, judges are likely to rule that the conduct was questionable but not technically unconstitutional, and impeachment would not be filed, he said. “And this is what the president is aiming for.”
