South Korean opposition legislators said on Thursday they would vote this weekend to impeach President Yoon Suk Yeol for his botched attempt to impose martial law, and police said they were investigating claims of treason against him and top ministers.
Mr Yoon’s declaration of martial law late on Tuesday sought to consolidate power, ban political activity and censor the media.
It sparked outrage in the streets and concern among South Korea’s international allies. The defence minister, who recommended the move, has resigned.
Members of the opposition Democratic Party planned to seek a vote in parliament to impeach Mr Yoon at about 7pm local time (10am Irish time) on Saturday, a party spokesperson told reporters.
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“The Yoon Suk Yeol regime’s declaration of emergency martial law caused great confusion and fear among our people,” Democratic Party politician Kim Seung-won told the National Assembly earlier.
Mr 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 Mr Yoon’s five-year term.
The Democratic Party needs at least eight of the 108 ruling-party legislators to back the Bill for it to pass with a two-thirds majority in the 300-seat parliament.
Fighting for his political future, Mr Yoon accepted the resignation of minister for defence Kim Yong-hyun on Thursday and nominated his ambassador to Saudi Arabia, Choi Byung-hyuk, as a replacement.
Mr Kim had recommended Mr Yoon declare martial law on Tuesday, according to the minister for the interior, a senior military official and the opposition’s filing to impeach Mr Yoon.
Mr 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 Mr 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 chief of investigations for the national police confirmed to a parliamentary hearing that the force was investigating accusations of treason and other related crimes over the declaration of martial law. The complaint was filed by an opposition party and activists.
The investigation includes Mr Yoon, his minister for the interior, and the ousted minister for defence.
Yonhap news agency reported that the prosecution and the corruption investigation office for high-ranking officials had also received complaints and were considering investigations.
The former minister for defence faces a travel ban while the investigations progress, broadcaster YTN said.
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 Mr 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, US secretary of state Antony Blinken said the United States had not been made aware in advance of Mr Yoon’s declaration, while his deputy, Kurt Campbell, said Mr 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 US Forces-Korea, Gen Paul LaCamera, warned American troops to stay vigilant, avoid areas with protests and tell superiors of travel plans in case “something unexpected” happens.
Mr Yoon had been embraced by leaders in the West as a partner in the US-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 unions.
The impeachment plan follows a night of chaos after Mr 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 Mr 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 postwar 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.”
If the impeachment Bill passes, South Korea’s constitutional court would then decide whether to uphold the motion – a process that could take up to 180 days.
If Mr Yoon were to be suspended from exercising power, prime minister Han Duck-soo would fill in as leader.
If Mr Yoon resigned or was removed from office, a new election would be held within 60 days.
Mr 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 per cent for months and the opposition captured nearly two-thirds of parliament seats in an April election. – Reuters.
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