Yoon Suk Yeol, the president of South Korea, apologized on Saturday for his attempt to impose martial law this week, but he chose not to step down despite strong pressure to do so, including from members of his ruling party, and just hours before an impeachment vote was scheduled.
Yoon stated that he would not try to escape political or legal accountability for his decision to impose martial law in South Korea for the first time since 1980. He claimed that desperation led to the decision.
Six hours after the imposition of martial law and after parliament defied military and police cordons to vote against the decree, the embattled leader made his first public appearance since he revoked the order early on Wednesday.
Yoon bowed as he said, “I am very sorry and would like to sincerely apologize to the people who were shocked,” in a nationally televised speech.
“I leave it up to my party to take steps to stabilize the political situation in the future, including the issue of my term in office,” he stated.
Following the speech, Yoon’s People Power Party (PPP) leader Han Dong-hoon declared that the president was no longer able to fulfill his public duties and that his resignation was now inevitable.
Even though PPP members later reaffirmed a formal opposition to Yoon’s impeachment, Han’s statement on Friday that he was a danger to the nation and should be removed from power increased pressure on Yoon to step down.
Local Yonhap News reported that Han had scheduled a meeting with Prime Minister Han Duck-soo for Saturday. The constitution stipulates that Yoon’s appointed prime minister becomes South Korea’s acting president in the event of Yoon’s resignation or impeachment.
Later on Saturday, lawmakers will vote on a motion to impeach Yoon put forth by the Democratic Party, the main opposition party.
Late on Tuesday, Yoon stunned the country by granting the military broad emergency powers to crush “anti-state forces” and defeat political opponents who were obstructing the process.
On December 6, 2024, a man gestures in front of the National Assembly in Seoul, South Korea, as demonstrators demand the impeachment of South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, who imposed martial law before lifting it hours later. Kim Hong-ji/REUTERS
In order to avoid a recurrence of the 2016 impeachment of then-President Park Geun-hye, who resigned after months of candlelit protests over an influence-peddling scandal, some PPP members urged Yoon to step down prior to the vote. The party collapsed as a result of her downfall, and liberals won both the general and presidential elections.
On Friday night, thousands of protesters, holding candles, gathered outside parliament to call for Yoon’s impeachment, creating scenes reminiscent of those demonstrations. We anticipate more protests ahead of the vote on Saturday.
Yoon and senior officials involved in the martial law decree are the subjects of investigations by prosecutors, law enforcement, and the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials. The investigations aim to investigate allegations of insurrection and abuse of power, among other things.
Potential charges against the officials include insurrection, abuse of power, and preventing others from exercising their rights. Leading an insurgency is punishable by death or life in prison, with or without prison labor, if found guilty.
