South Korean opposition legislators said yesterday they would vote this weekend to impeach President Yoon Suk Yeol over his botched attempt to impose martial law, while the defence minister blamed for recommending the move resigned.
Yoon’s declaration of martial law late on Tuesday sought to consolidate power, ban political activity and censor the media in Asia’s fourth-largest economy and a key US ally.
It sparked outrage in the streets and concern among South Korea’s international allies.
Legislators of the opposition Democratic Party planned to seek a vote in parliament to impeach Yoon at about 7 pm tomorrow, a party spokesperson told reporters.
“The Yoon Suk Yeol regime’s declaration of emergency martial law caused great confusion and fear among our people,” Democratic Party legislator Kim Seung-won told the National Assembly earlier.
Yoon’s ruling People Power Party is divided over the crisis but said it would oppose impeachment with the party in turmoil and two years left in Yoon’s five-year term.
The Democratic Party needs at least eight of the 108 ruling-party legislators to back the bill for it to pass with a two-thirds majority in the 300-seat parliament.
Fighting for his political future, Yoon accepted the resignation of Defence Minister Kim Yong-hyun yesterday and nominated his ambassador to Saudi Arabia, Choi Byung-hyuk, as a replacement, Yoon’s office said.
Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba said Japan’s “security situation may be fundamentally changed” in light of the instability in Seoul and North Korea’s rising military assertiveness.
“What will happen to South Korea? There appears to be a great deal of domestic criticism and opposition,” he told parliament, adding that Yoon’s efforts to improve relations with Tokyo “must never be undermined”.
There has been no reaction yet from North Korea to the drama in the South.
On Wednesday, Secretary of State Antony Blinken told Reuters the United States had not been made aware in advance of Yoon’s declaration, while his deputy, Kurt Campbell, said Yoon had badly misjudged it.
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