Yoon Suk Yeol stated that his martial law declaration was intended as a warning to the main opposition Democratic Party, which, he claimed, has been paralyzing state affairs and undermining the country’s constitutional order.
South Korea’s president defended his martial law decree on Thursday (December 12, 2024), calling it an act of governance and rejecting rebellion charges. He also dismissed the opposition-led impeachment attempts against him and investigations into his decision last week.
Yoon Suk Yeol’s televised statement came just hours before the main liberal opposition Democratic Party planned to submit a new impeachment motion against him. The opposition party intends to put the motion to a floor vote on Saturday, December 14, 2024.
Their previous attempt to impeach Mr. Yoon failed last Saturday, as ruling party lawmakers boycotted the vote at the National Assembly.
Mr. Yoon’s December 3 martial law declaration, the first of its kind in more than 40 years in South Korea, has generated political chaos and large protests calling for his ouster. The decree brought hundreds of armed troops attempting to encircle parliament and raiding the election commission, though no major violence or injuries occurred, and he was forced to lift it about six hours later.
“I will fight to the end, to prevent the forces and criminal groups that have been responsible for paralyzing the country’s government and disrupting the nation’s constitutional order from threatening the future of the Republic of Korea,” Mr. Yoon said.
Warning to Opposition Party
Mr. Yoon, a conservative, stated that the introduction of martial law was intended to send a warning to the main liberal opposition Democratic Party, which he accused of paralyzing state affairs and undermining the country’s constitutional order. He explained that the deployment of fewer than 300 soldiers to the National Assembly was meant to maintain order, not to dissolve or paralyze it.
Mr. Yoon referred to the Democratic Party as “a monster” and “anti-state forces,” accusing them of repeatedly using their legislative power to impeach top officials, undermine government budget bills, and sympathize with North Korea.
“The opposition is now performing a chaotic ‘knife dance,’ claiming that the declaration of martial law amounts to an act of rebellion. But was it really?” Mr. Yoon questioned.
Act of Governance
Mr. Yoon argued that his martial law decree was an act of governance that should not be subjected to investigations and does not constitute rebellion. It remains unclear how Mr. Yoon’s statement will impact his future. Earlier on Thursday, the leader of his own conservative party, Han Dong-hun, remarked that Mr. Yoon had made it clear he had no intention of stepping down voluntarily and urged party members to vote in favor of his impeachment during the upcoming National Assembly vote.
Opposition parties and many experts argue that the martial law decree was unconstitutional. They contend that a president is only legally permitted to declare martial law during wartime or other emergency situations, and that South Korea was not facing such a predicament. They further argue that deploying troops to seal off the National Assembly and suspend its political activities amounted to rebellion, as the constitution does not grant the president the authority to use the military to suspend parliament under any circumstances.
Mr. Yoon’s statement was seen as an about-face from his previous position. Last Saturday, Mr. Yoon apologised over the martial law decree, saying that he won’t avoid legal or political responsibility for it. He said he would leave it to his party to chart a course through the country’s political turmoil, “including matters related to my term in office.”
Police Search
On Wednesday, Mr. Yoon’s office resisted a police attempt to search the compound. The primary focus of the investigation is determining whether Mr. Yoon and other top military and government officials involved in imposing martial law committed rebellion. A conviction for rebellion carries a maximum penalty of death.
Earlier this week, Mr. Yoon’s former defense minister was arrested on charges of playing a key role in the rebellion and committing abuse of power. He became the first person to be formally arrested in connection with the martial law decree.
Kim Yong Hyun, one of Mr. Yoon’s close associates, has been accused of recommending martial law to Mr. Yoon and deploying troops to the National Assembly to block lawmakers from voting on it. Despite the military’s efforts, enough lawmakers managed to enter a parliamentary chamber, where they unanimously rejected Mr. Yoon’s decree, prompting the Cabinet to lift it before dawn on December 4.