The president of South Korea, This Saturday, Yoon Suk Yeol asked for “sincere apologies for the anxiety and inconvenience” after the controversy that arose with the approval on Tuesday of martial law, a measure that was later revoked by the country’s Parliament, and has left it in the hands of his party “stabilize the political situation.”
“The declaration of martial law “was born out of desperation as president”the president stated in a message to the nation, as 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 in his first public appearance after the events.
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’s 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 abandon the formation after Yoon’s controversial decision of declaring martial law which was later revoked by Parliament, and who accepted “full responsibility for what happened.”
Yoon announced martial law in an unexpected speech to the nation in which he accused the opposition of sympathizing with North Korea after the opponents – who have the majority in Parliament – pushed forward a budget measure and presented impeachment motions against several senior officials.
Opponent’s response
Precisely the opposition leaderLee Jae Myung, has responded to the presidentwhose statement he considered “does not at all conform to public expectations and further increases the feeling of betrayal and anger among the people.
“In summary, “I am very disappointed”he stressed, stressing that “there is no other way to resolve this situation than the immediate resignation of the president or his early resignation through impeachment.”
“The possibility of committing something more serious in the future is very high, so the existence of the president himself is a risk,” he reiterated, adding: “Of course, (President Yoon) must be investigated in its current state and, if necessary, arrested, detained, prosecuted and punished.”
Along these lines, the parliamentary leader of the opposition Democratic Party, Park Chan-dae, has alleged that, “if the impeachment bill is rejected, We will immediately press it again in the extraordinary session of the National Assembly”.
‘Impeachment’ this Saturday
Opposition parties have started proceedings to start a political trial in Parliamentalthough the ruling party has clarified that it will not support it. Lee, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, the main driver of the president’s impeachment process, has admitted that it will be difficult to obtain the necessary support to achieve Yoon’s departure this week, but has pointed out that his dismissal is “a simple matter of time”, according to information collected by Yonhap.
In the agenda confirmed by the South Korean Parliament, it appears – before the motion against the president – the vote on the proposal to call for an investigation into the first lady after an investigation for stock manipulationa scandal that has been at the center of the political debate in South Korea for the last year and has been one of the key factors in the crushing defeat suffered by the government People’s Power Party (PPP) in the elections last April 10 .
For the measure to go forward in the Lower House The support of two-thirds of the deputies is necessary, which 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.
Currently, Yoon’s People Power Party has 108 seats compared to the opposition’s 192, so 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, who presented the measure this Wednesday after revoking martial law imposed the previous day by the president, who 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 deputies 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.”
The situation has provoked strong protests in the South Korean capitalwhere groups of activists, opponents and unions have attacked a president who had a low popularity rate. All of them have asked for his resignation to return stability to the Asian country, as they have denounced.
