The president of South Korea, Yoon Suk Yeol, asked this Saturday for “sincere apologies for the anxiety and inconvenience” after the controversy raised with the approval on Tuesday of martial lawa measure that was later revoked by the country’s Parliament, leaving it in the hands of his party to “stabilize the political situation.”
“The declaration of martial law “was born out of desperation as president,” said the president.in statements reported by the South Korean news agency Yonhap.
Yoon has also highlighted that “There will never be a second martial law”. “I sincerely apologize for the anxiety and inconvenience to people,” he lamented.
Likewise, he has made it clear that will not evade “the legal and political responsibility related to martial law”. “I leave it in the hands of the party to figure out how to stabilize the political situation, even during my term,” Yoon said.
Reaction of the party leader
For his part, the leader of the People’s Power Party, the formation to which the president belongs, Han Dong Hoon, has stated after the president’s statements that his “early resignation is inevitable.” “We will discuss and consider the best way for Korea and its people in the future,” he told reporters, according to Yonhap.
“It is a situation in which it is impossible for the president to perform his duties normally,” he added.
These statements come after Han asked on Wednesday that the president leave the formation after Yoon’s controversial decision to declare martial law that It was later revoked by Parliamentand which brought with it the resignation of Defense Minister Kim Yong Hyun, who accepted “full responsibility for what happened.”
Yoon announced martial law in an unexpected address to the nation in which he accused the opposition of sympathizing with North Korea after the opponents – who have a majority in Parliament – pushed forward a budget measure and They will present impeachment motions against several senior officials.
“Impeachment” promoted by the opposition
The opposition parties have initiated procedures to initiate a political trial in Parliament, although the ruling party has clarified that it will not support it. South Korea’s opposition leader, Lee Jae Myung, stated last Thursday that The president will be removed within the framework of this impeachment process in Parliament, with an opposition majority.
The leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, the main promoter of the president’s impeachment process, has admitted that It will be difficult to gain the necessary support to achieve Yoon’s departure this weekbut he has pointed out that his dismissal is “a simple matter of time”, according to information collected by Yonhap.
For the measure to go forward in the Lower House the support of two thirds of the deputies is necessarywhich means the vote in favor of 200 of the 300 legislators. For the vote to be valid, more than half of the parliamentarians must be present.
At the moment, Yoon’s People Power Party has 108 seats compared to the opposition’s 192, Therefore, if all the deputies of the government party vote against the motion, the initiative will be rejected.
The impeachment process has been opened following the request of the six opposition parties, which They presented the measure this Wednesday after revoking the martial law imposed the previous day by the presidentwhich accused opponents of maintaining positions close to North Korea by blocking its budget measures and seeking the dismissal of several prosecutors.
“The problem is that some MPs from Yoon’s party are willing to vote in favor“But that would mean breaking party discipline and would put them in a difficult situation,” Lee said. However, he asserted that the president “will be removed, whether in one day, two, one week, one month or three months.”
