South Korea martial law news: Opposition parties submit motion to impeach President Yoon, voting likely on Friday
South Korea martial law LIVE Updates: Opposition parties have submitted motion to impeach President Yoon Suk Yeol following his brief martial law declaration. With protests escalating, the country's Defence Minister offered to resign amidst growing dissatisfaction over the government's actions
South Korea martial law LIVE Updates: Amid a political crisis, South Korea's opposition parties on Wednesday introduced a motion to impeach President Yoon Suk Yeol after his unexpected and short-lived declaration of martial law.
Following the motion, voting is likely to take place on Friday or Saturday as it must happen within 72 hours of the bill being proposed. “Whether (Yoon) resigns or not, we are going to impeach him," an opposition politician said, reported BBC. South Korea has been witnessing massive protests, with many citizens skipping their jobs to march to the National Assembly, calling for the President's impeachment.
South Korea Defence Minister offers to resign
Amid the impeachment calls, Defence Minister Kim Yong-hyun has offered to resign. He took full responsibility, and apologised to the public for ‘spreading confusion and causing distress’, as per the ministry's statement, mentioned reports.
The President's emergency martial law declaration, which involved heavily armed troops surrounding parliament, led to lawmakers climbing walls to get back inside and unanimously vote to lift the order, reported the Associated Press. To impeach Yoon, two-thirds of parliament must support the motion, and at least six of the nine Constitutional Court justices would need to back it for him to be removed from office.
The motion, submitted by the main opposition Democratic Party and five smaller parties, could be voted on as soon as Friday.
Also Read: Why did South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol withdraw martial law? Explained in 10 points
In response to the chaos, Yoon’s senior advisers and secretaries offered to resign, and there were growing calls for his Cabinet members, including Defense Minister Kim Yong Hyun, to step down. The nation struggled to make sense of what seemed like a hasty and poorly thought-out decision.
“The people will block the president’s anti-constitutional step. The military must be on the side of the public in any case. Let’s resolutely oppose it,” wrote Kim Dong Yeon, the opposition party governor of Gyeonggi province, which surrounds Seoul, on X.
In his speech announcing the abrupt order Tuesday night, Yoon vowed to eliminate “anti-state” forces and continued to criticize parliament’s attempts to impeach key government officials and senior prosecutors. But martial law lasted only about six hours, as the National Assembly voted to overrule Yoon and the declaration was formally lifted around 4:30 a.m. during a Cabinet meeting, AP reported.
Marital law in South Korea
Martial law is a temporary imposition of military control during emergencies when civilian authorities are unable to maintain order. The last time it was declared in South Korea was in 1979, following the assassination of the country’s long-term military dictator, Park Chung-hee, during a coup. Since South Korea became a parliamentary democracy in 1987, martial law has not been invoked.
Also Read: South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol withdraws martial law order shortly after declaring it
Dictator Park Chung-hee, who ruled South Korea for nearly two decades before being assassinated by his spy chief in 1979, led several thousand troops into Seoul during the early hours of May 16, 1961, in the country’s first coup. He declared martial law multiple times to suppress protests and imprison his critics.
Less than two months after Park's death, Maj. Gen. Chun Doo-hwan led tanks and troops into Seoul in December 1979, staging the country’s second coup. The following year, Chun carried out a brutal military crackdown on a pro-democracy uprising in the southern city of Gwangju, killing at least 200 people.
(With inputs from AP)
Catch all the Business News , Breaking News Events and Latest News Updates on Live Mint. Download The Mint News App to get Daily Market Updates.
Business NewsNewsWorldSouth Korea martial law news: Opposition parties submit motion to impeach President Yoon, voting likely on Friday
First Published:4 Dec 2024, 01:42 PM IST
- Top Gainers
- Top Losers
- 52 Week High