The leader of the ruling People's Power Party, Han Dong-hyun, today called for the dismissal of Defense Minister Kim Yong-hun and the resignation of all other members of President Yoon Suk-yeol's government, as the political turmoil caused by the head of state's decision to declare martial law, before retracting it a few hours later, continues.
Mr. Han also said that he recommended that Mr. Yoon be expelled from the party, but party officials did not agree, expressing various opinions.
According to the Chosun Ilbo newspaper, all members of the government expressed their intention to resign to the prime minister. The latter, Han Duck-soo, was expected to meet with the leadership of the ruling party and the president's associates at 2 p.m. (local time; 7 a.m. Greek time), according to the newspaper.
The secretary general of President Yoon's office and other top aides have submitted their resignations «en masse.»
The secretary general of the presidency and other key aides to South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol «submitted their resignations en masse» today, according to South Korea's national news agency Yonhap, a few hours after martial law was imposed and then lifted overnight by decisions of the head of state.
«Mr. Yoon's top aides,» including presidential chief of staff Chung Jin-suk, «resigned en masse,» Yonhap reported, without providing further details. The South Korean presidency did not immediately respond when asked for comment on the information by Agence France-Presse.
The president of South Korea is being pressured to resign after his decision to declare martial law, which lasted a few hours.
«Resign immediately,» «be held accountable»: South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol now finds himself with his back against the wall, under attack not only from the opposition but also from his own party, after he declared martial law on Tuesday, a decision he was forced to retract a few hours later.
Mr. Yoon, whose popularity is already very low, announced that martial law would be declared to general surprise on Tuesday evening (local time), accusing the opposition of being made up of «forces hostile to the state,» against the backdrop of disagreements over the state budget.
After the president announced that martial law had been declared, soldiers were deployed and helicopters landed on the roof of the parliament building. Nevertheless, members of the South Korean national delegation were able to hold an emergency meeting and adopt a resolution demanding the lifting of the measure – something that Mr. Yoon was forced to do after a few hours.
Hundreds of protesters had gathered in front of parliament to demand that the measure be withdrawn and that President Yoon resign.
The imposition of martial law, something that the Southeast Asian country had experienced for over forty years, meant the suspension of political life, the closure of parliament, and strict control of the media.
The news caused concern and condemnation internationally, mainly from the US, Seoul's key ally against North Korea, and from China.
The official opposition, the Democratic Party, demanded Mr. Yoon's «resignation,» stating that it would initiate proceedings to remove him from office if he did not decide «immediately.».
He also stressed that he intends to prosecute the president, his ministers (Defense, Interior) and senior officials of the armed forces and police who were responsible for enforcing martial law (air force general, police chief).
But even Mr. Yoon's own party, the People Power Party, stressed today that the head of state must «be held accountable.».
«The president must provide immediate and detailed explanations for this tragic situation,» party leader Han Dong-hoon told a Korean television network, adding that «all those responsible must be held accountable.».
The secretary general of the presidency and other senior aides to the president «submitted their resignations en masse,» according to South Korea's Yonhap news agency. The head of the ruling party, Han, then demanded that Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun be dismissed and that all other members of President Yoon's government resign.
According to the Chosun Ilbo newspaper, all members of the government expressed their intention to resign to the prime minister. The latter, Han Duck-soo, was expected to meet with the leadership of the ruling party and the president's associates at 2 p.m. (local time; 7 a.m. Greek time), according to the same source.
The country's largest trade union confederation announced that it was calling for an «indefinite general strike’ until the president resigned. The Korean Confederation of Trade Unions, with no fewer than 1.2 million members, described Mr. Yoon's move as »unreasonable and undemocratic,« adding that with it he had »signed the end« of his power.
By noon, President Yoon had not reappeared in public.
After the measure was imposed, 190 members of parliament voted against it, while special forces soldiers attempted to storm the chamber where the session was being held.
A total of more than 280 soldiers stormed the parliament building, according to Yonhap.
In front of the building, in the middle of the night, protesters chanted the slogan «Arrest Yoon Suk-yeol!», according to French Agency correspondents.
«Why did I have to come here after working all day during the week?» shouted one protester. «Because this absurd military law was declared by Yoon, who has gone mad,» replied another.
Finally, a few hours later, Mr. Yoon made a new announcement stating that the measure was being lifted and that the armed forces were being withdrawn from the capital—a development that caused an explosion of joy among the protesters.
The army announced that it had done nothing more than obey the president's orders.
The measure taken by President Yoon was reminiscent of 1980, when hundreds of thousands of people protested against a military coup. Those demonstrations were drowned in blood.
The head of state, who was finding it increasingly difficult to secure budget approval from the opposition-controlled parliament, said the measure was intended to «eliminate elements hostile to the state» and «protect South Korea from threats posed by communist North Korean forces.».
He spoke of parliamentary «dictatorship» and accused the opposition of seeking to paralyze the state.
Opposition leader Lee Jae-myung, who narrowly lost the 2022 election to Mr. Yoon, called the measure «illegal» and urged citizens to protest in front of the National Assembly.
The US presidency said it was not aware of Mr. Yoon's intentions. It expressed «relief» at the lifting of the measure, while US Secretary of State Antony Blinken noted that «we continue to expect political disagreements to be resolved peacefully and with respect for the rule of law,» in a statement released by his office.
The United Nations and Britain expressed concern, while China called on its citizens in the country to exercise caution. Moscow, which has strengthened its ties with Pyongyang amid the war in Ukraine, also described the situation as «very worrying.».
Japan, for its part, through Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, said it was monitoring the situation closely with «extreme and serious concern.».
The defense minister says he offered his resignation to the president after the attempt to impose martial law.
South Korean Defense Minister Kim Young-chun apologized today and offered to resign after President Yoon Suk-yeol attempted to impose martial law.
“I deeply regret and take full responsibility for the confusion and concern caused to the public by the military law,” Kim said in a statement, adding that he had “offered my resignation to the president.”.
