The position of South Korean president Yoon Suk Yeol looks increasingly precarious, following the arrest of his former defence minister and a weekend of political drama and mass protests demanding he resign.
Prosecutors said on Sunday they had detained Kim Yong-hyun, widely seen as the key figure in Mr Yoon’s declaration of martial law last Tuesday. Mr Kim stepped down from his defence post the day after the declaration was rescinded by parliament, amid nationwide fury.
The head of the prosecution team investigating the martial law incident, Park Se-hyun, pledged to pursue those responsible, “regardless of status”, suggesting that Mr Yoon was among those under suspicion of “abusing his authority”.
Mr Yoon apologised for the debacle on Saturday evening and survived an impeachment vote after all but three members of his conservative People Power Party (PPP) boycotted the vote. The boycott meant the opposition fell just short of the 200 votes need to approve the impeachment.
In a brief speech to parliament, Mr Yoon said: “I leave it up to my party to take steps to stabilise the political situation in the future, including the issue of my term in office.”
The PPP leader, Han Dong-hoon, made several statements over the weekend suggesting Mr Yoon had lost the confidence of his party. “The declaration of martial law was a clear and serious violation of the law,” Mr Han said after the failed impeachment, insisting that Mr Yoon would voluntarily step down.
Mr Han added that his party would “pursue an orderly departure of the president in order to minimise confusion for the people”. Until then, he said, the president would be “effectively excluded from his duties”. He was joined by prime minister Han Duck-soo, who said he would work with the PPP to maintain national stability.
Neither the PPP nor parliament has given any indication when the president might vacate his office, leaving many suspicious that they might try to ride out the crisis. Mr Yoon and several others in his political circle have been accused of insurrection by opposition lawmakers, a crime punishable by execution or life imprisonment.
[ South Korea: Ruling party leader says president needs to be removed from powerOpens in new window ]
The opposition Democratic Party (DP) has demanded Mr Yoon’s immediate removal from office. Lee Jae-myung, the DP leader, described Mr Han’s proposal to “share the president’s powers” as “completely baffling”.
“The people elected Yoon, not Han, as president. This is another coup that destroys the constitutional order,” he said on Sunday.
Mr Yoon’s botched decree has infuriated much of the population, who see it as an attack on the country’s hard-won democracy. The latest opinion polls put his support at a record low of just 13 per cent, with a negative assessment of 75 per cent.
Huge crowds gathered in freezing temperatures outside the National Assembly in Seoul on Saturday and Sunday, demanding Mr Yoon’s departure. “He’s an embarrassment to our country,” said one protester who called herself Lee. “The sooner he leaves, the better for all of us.”
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