South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol is fighting for his political life in the face of intense public condemnation and a looming impeachment vote over his failed attempt to impose martial law, as the presidential office announced the appointment of a new defense minister on Thursday.
Yoon sparked political chaos on Tuesday night with his surprise declaration of martial law, South Korea’s first in 44 years. Lawmakers voted to lift martial law in the National Assembly, despite the use of force by the military and police. Early on Wednesday, Yoon accepted the result and recalled the troops.
But not before nearly 300 soldiers reportedly arrived at the legislature, many by helicopter, and some broke windows to enter the domed main building.
The defense ministry, then headed by Kim Jong-hyun, sent the troops as part of Yoon’s martial law order. Kim submitted his resignation on Wednesday. Other key Yoon aides have also offered to resign, but Yoon has not yet announced whether he will accept their resignations.
Yoon, who has not appeared before the nation since the announcement, appointed Choi Byung-hyuk, South Korea’s ambassador to Saudi Arabia, to replace Kim, according to a statement from Yoon’s office. Chief of Staff Chung Jin-suk said at the morning briefing that Choi is a retired army commander with direct experience of working with US forces stationed in South Korea.
Parliament passes no-confidence votes on auditor general and prosecutors
It was also reported that the opposition-controlled National Assembly on Thursday passed no-confidence motions against the state auditor and three top prosecutors for their roles in the investigations into the presidential office relocation and first lady Kim Keon Hee.
The no-confidence motions were filed against Choe Jae-hae, chairman of the Audit and Inspection Board, Lee Chang-soo, chief of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office, and Cho Sang-won and Choi Jae-hun, prosecutors under Lee.
With the approval of the petitions, all four will be suspended from their posts until the Constitutional Court decides whether to uphold their dismissals. This is the first time that a chief of the audit and inspection agency has been dismissed by the parliament.
People want Yoon to go
In a moment of anger over Yoon’s martial law move, citizens took to the streets in protest and gathered at the National Assembly. Polling data released by Realmeter on Thursday showed that a large majority of South Koreans were in favor of Yoon’s impeachment, with 73.6 per cent supporting the president’s removal, while 24 per cent said they were against it. While 85.1 per cent of respondents aged 18-29 were in favor of Yoon’s impeachment, 48.8 per cent of respondents aged 70 and over said impeachment was necessary.
Meanwhile, Hyundai Motor’s union announced a partial strike in protest against Yoon. The union asked its members to take part in a two-hour strike on Thursday and Friday to attend a rally in the southeastern port city of Ulsan, the carmaker’s main production base.
Opposition parties, which dominate the legislature, submitted a motion on Wednesday calling for Yoon’s impeachment. A vote on the issue will be held at 7pm on Saturday, local media reported on Thursday, citing Cho Seung-rae, a spokesman for the Democratic Party, the country’s main opposition party.
Even his own party wants Yoon to step down
Yoon’s sudden and ill-planned move drew criticism from across the political spectrum. Although South Korean politics is sharply divided between liberal and conservative camps, lawmakers from the president’s own party also voted against martial law and reacted to Yoon.
Han Dong-hoon, head of Yoon’s People Power Party (PPP), said he would ask the president to resign and leave the party rather than allow the impeachment process to continue. Han immediately opposed the martial law decision, telling the party meeting on Wednesday morning that Yoon should be held accountable for his ‘unconstitutional actions’.
The former prosecutor general’s dismissal is not certain, however, as he still has supporters within the PPP. On Thursday, PPP floor leader Choo Kyung-ho said the party would not cooperate with efforts to impeach Yoon and would work to convince lawmakers to vote against it.
Criticism from the U.S.
South Korea’s main ally, the United States, has publicly criticized Yoon’s attempt to suspend civil and political rights. Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Kurt Campbell told a forum this week that Yoon had ‘grossly miscalculated’ the situation and described his attempt to impose martial law as ‘highly illegitimate’.
“The country is entering uncharted territory at a time of incredible geopolitical uncertainty,” said Se-Woong Koo, a political analyst and expert on South Korean politics, amid the uncertainty caused by the martial law fiasco.
The National Assembly has the right to remove Yoon, but it will be a difficult path, and it is not yet clear whether ruling party lawmakers will support Yoon’s removal,’ Koo told Nikkei Asia.
Police launch investigation
Meanwhile, according to Yonhap news agency, police on Thursday launched an investigation into allegations that Yoon Suk Yeol committed treason by declaring martial law this week.
The investigation was assigned to the security investigation team under the National Police Organisation’s National Investigation Office after two complaints were filed.
One complaint was filed by the opposition Supportive Alliance for the Reconstruction of Korea and the other by a group of 59 activists.
In addition to Yoon, former Defence Minister Kim Jong-hyun, Joint Chiefs of Staff General Park An-su and Interior Minister Lee Sang-min were also indicted on treason and other related charges for their roles in the declaration and subsequent lifting of martial law on Tuesday.
The prosecutors’ office and the anti-graft agency for senior officials have also received complaints accusing Yoon of treason and are considering whether to conduct their own investigations or hand them over to the police.
