South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol apologized on Saturday in a televised speech for the anxiety and inconvenience caused by the declaration of martial law, promising not to declare martial law again.
Before the parliament was set to hold a vote on the impeachment case, Yoon Suk-yeol delivered a “National Address” at the Blue House in Seoul, publicly apologizing for the recent controversy over the emergency declaration of martial law and emphasizing that there would not be a second martial law.
Yoon Suk-yeol expressed in his speech, “I sincerely apologize to the nation for this incident. As the president, I urgently declared martial law, but in the process, it caused anxiety and inconvenience to the citizens.”
Yoon Suk-yeol stated, “I will not evade political and legal responsibilities. I will leave all decisions regarding various proposals to stabilize the political situation, including during my term, to the ruling party.”
This week, the six major opposition parties in South Korea submitted a motion to impeach President Yoon Suk-yeol to the parliament. However, the ruling party, the “National Power Party,” held a full meeting and passed a decision opposing the impeachment of the president.
According to South Korean law, impeaching Yoon Suk-yeol requires the support of two-thirds of the parliament, which is 200 out of 300 members. Currently, the opposition parties proposing impeachment collectively hold 192 seats. In other words, the impeachment case needs at least 8 votes in favor from ruling party members to pass.
If Yoon Suk-yeol is impeached, he will be suspended from office until the Constitutional Court makes a ruling on whether to dismiss him or restore his presidential powers. During this period, South Korean Prime Minister Han Duk-soo will assume the presidential duties.
Around 10:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Yoon Suk-yeol announced the implementation of martial law, following which the Martial Law Command issued an order prohibiting all political activities. South Korea entered a state of martial law from 11 p.m. that night. However, in the early hours of Wednesday, disregarding the ongoing military blockade, parliament members held a full meeting and passed a resolution to abolish martial law. Around 4:30 a.m., the government held a National Security Council meeting and approved the lifting of the martial law, officially ending the emergency declaration.
This incident has caused turmoil in the South Korean political scene, leading to the resignation of several officials and the suspension of various diplomatic activities with allies such as the United States.
On Friday, the leader of the “National Power Party,” Han Dong-hun, stated his support for suspending President Yoon Suk-yeol’s presidential powers in parliament. He argued that given the current situation, Yoon Suk-yeol’s governance authority should be stopped promptly to ensure national stability.