South Korean president’s future ‘unstable’ amid martial law impeachment – The National

South Korea opposition parties submitted a proposal for the president’s impeachment on Thursday Yoon Suk Yeol over him a shocking move to impose temporary martial law which has plunged the country into political chaos.

The martial law declared by Yon on Tuesday night lasted about six hours in total after lawmakers managed to sneak past heavily armed troops into the National Assembly building and unanimously voted to lift the order. The decree, which Yun said was necessary to eliminate “anti-state” opposition forces that control parliament, was criticized by the president’s allies and enemies alike and drew hundreds of protesters into the streets overnight.

It was not immediately clear whether any lawmakers from Yoon’s ruling party would support the impeachment vote, which could be voted on as early as Friday. However, People’s Power Party chief Han Dong-hoon told reporters that he had asked Yeon to leave the party and fire Defense Minister Kim Yeon-hyun, who Han said first proposed martial law.

Kim, who faced separate impeachment efforts, offered to step down and apologized to the country “for all the turmoil” in a statement. Other members of Yoon’s cabinet and his senior policy advisers, including the president’s chief of staff, also resigned.

The mounting fallout reflected overwhelming public anger at Yoon’s decision, which independent analysts have described as an ill-conceived stunt.

“It was a huge political calculation, and it exponentially exacerbated his problems with the political opposition and with a large segment of the population,” James Trottier, a former Canadian diplomat and fellow at the Canadian Institute of Global Affairs, told Global News.

Candlelight vigils were held across the country, calling for Juna’s removal from office and arrest.

“Although martial law has been lifted … mass demonstrations (and) protests will continue,” Hyung Lin, professor of Asian studies and AECL/KEPCO Chair in Korean Studies at the University of British Columbia, said in an email.

“It’s very hard to see Yoon staying in office to finish his term, given that this latest act has branded him as less of a lame duck and more of a completely incompetent and unstable figure.”

Jonah’s impeachment would require the support of 200 of the 300 members of the National Assembly. The Democratic Party and five other small opposition parties, which jointly filed the impeachment motion, have a total of 192 seats.

According to National Assembly officials, the 190-0 rejection of Yona’s martial law declaration included the votes of 18 lawmakers from Yona’s ruling People’s Power Party, suggesting there may be some support for impeachment.

The impeachment motion was signed by 190 opposition lawmakers and one independent lawmaker, without the support of a single ruling party lawmaker, Yonhap news agency reported. No one from the ruling party participated in the introduction of the proposal in the parliament.

Reuters reported that the People’s Power Party has vowed to oppose the proposal. But Yoon’s future within the party itself was thrown into doubt after party leader Han said he had petitioned the prime minister for Yoon’s transfer.

If the vote to impeach Jon is successful, at least six judges on the nine-member Constitutional Court would need to support it to remove him from office. However, there are currently three vacancies, meaning the remaining justices will need to vote unanimously for the motion to be granted.

During the trial, Yoon will be removed from power and Prime Minister Han Dak-soo will take over as leader.

A presidential election would have to be held within 60 days if the court upholds the impeachment or if Yoon resigns.

Yun told the nation in a televised speech on Tuesday night that martial law was needed to protect the country from pro-North Korea anti-government forces in the opposition and to protect a free constitutional order, although he did not name any specific threats to the country.

Experts, as well as presidential officials who spoke to the Associated Press and Yonhap news agency, say the move was aimed at breaking legislative deadlock in parliament, where the majority opposition has stalled Yon’s agenda and budget proposals and called for an investigation into presidential aides. wife for alleged corruption.

“Ultimately, President Yoon felt that the only way out of this impasse was to declare martial law rather than engage in a democratic negotiation process with his political opponents,” said Troy Stangarone, director of the Hyundai Motor-Korea Foundation Center. on Korean History and Public Policy at the Wilson Center in Washington, DC

According to South Korea’s constitution, the president can declare martial law “in times of war, war-like situations or other equivalent states of national emergency” that require the use of military force to restrict freedom of the press, assembly and other rights to maintain order.

Many observers, reacting to the declaration, said there was no evidence that South Korea was currently in such a state.

“(Youn’s claims) didn’t really resonate with the public or the political class,” Trottier said. “This is a domestic political earthquake in South Korea.”

Lin, a professor at the University of British Columbia, said Yohn’s accusations were “completely unfounded” and that he “needed some excuse, however flimsy, to declare martial law”.

The leader of the Democratic Party, Park Chandey, called for an immediate investigation of Yoon over sedition charges related to his deployment of troops in parliament. While the president largely enjoys immunity from prosecution while in office, the protection does not extend to alleged rebellion or treason.

Speaking at NATO headquarters in Brussels on Thursday, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the Biden administration welcomed the lifting of martial law and pointed to South Korea as a democratic “success story” despite this week’s developments.

“I think Korea is one of the most powerful stories in the world about the emergence of democracy and the resilience of democracy, and we will continue to look to Korea to set that example,” he told reporters.

Others see it differently.

“South Korea is a harsh and unstable democracy,” Stangarone said.

Yoon’s announcement was the first declaration of martial law since 1980, when the military forced then-President Choi Kyu-ha to suppress calls for the restoration of a democratic government. Between then and the establishment of the Republic of Korea in 1948, martial law was declared more than a dozen times.

Since South Korea’s democratization in the late 1980s, two presidents have been impeached and three of the last four have been arrested on charges of corruption and abuse of power. Yoon’s role as attorney general in the prosecution and conviction of then-President Park Geun-hye in 2018 earned him the notoriety of running for president in the 2022 election. Increasing scandals and accusations while in office have since made Yuna very unpopular in opinion polls.

“I think it’s clear in South Korea that if you break the law as president, there will be consequences,” Stangarone said.

“Going forward, especially after what Jon has done, it will be important for all future presidential candidates to make sure they respect their constitutional boundaries.”

— With files from Associated Press and Reuters