Will South Korea remove its president from office following a week of unrest?

 What does Yoon's unsuccessful declaration of martial law mean for his future and the future of the country, given the protesters occupying the streets and the upcoming vote in parliament to end his presidency?

Good morning. Is Yoon Suk Yeol, the president of South Korea, about to be removed from office for imposing martial law last week?

 

When parliament attempts to impeach Yoon a second time tomorrow, the question that has plagued him through a number of opposition attempts to end his presidency will be brought to light. Yesterday, the beleaguered president pledged to "fight until the end to prevent the forces and criminal groups that have been responsible for disturbing the nation's constitutional order and paralyzing the country's government from threatening the future of the Republic of Korea."

Following Yoon's perplexing, late-night declaration of martial law on December 3, there has been political unrest and massive rallies by irate South Koreans throughout the last week. While lawmakers discuss

Following Yoon's perplexing, late-night declaration of martial law on December 3, there has been political unrest and massive rallies by irate South Koreans throughout the last week. High-ranking officials have been detained in conjunction with investigations into Yoon's directive as parliament consider impeachment. What you need to know about one of the most highly charged weeks in recent South Korean history is covered in today's newsletter. Let's start with the headlines.

The opposition in South Korea has called Yoon's brief proclamation of martial law a "unconstitutional, illegal rebellion or coup" and called the president's broadcast statement yesterday "an expression of extreme delusion" and "false propaganda." However, in order to obtain the two-thirds majority needed to approve an impeachment motion, it must have the backing of at least eight members of the president's conservative ruling party, which holds 192 seats in the 300-member National Assembly.

Yoon's address yesterday, in which he defended his martial law declaration as an act of government that cannot be investigated and does not constitute rebellion, appeared to be intended to sway supporters in parliament. According to him, the purpose of sending about 300 troops to the national parliament was to uphold order rather than crush or paralyze it. Additionally, he characterized the opposition as "a monster" and "anti-state," attempting to use its legislative power to remove senior officials who had weakened the government's proposed budget for the upcoming year and harbored North Korean sympathies.

The president had indicated he would not shirk responsibility for the declaration of martial law and had apologized for it last week; this comment was viewed as a reversal of course. A Democratic party taskforce leader, Kim Min-seok, called the address "a declaration of war against the people" and charged the president with trying to stir disturbances by far-right forces that support him. According to him, the Democratic party will concentrate on passing the resolution that would impeach Yoon.

How did this happen?

Since assuming power in 2022, Yoon has had limited success in having his proposals approved by an opposition-controlled parliament. The opposition's actions, according to conservatives, are political retaliation for inquiries into Lee Jae-myung, the leader of the Democratic Party and the front-runner in the 2027 presidential race.

Yoon and his wife were involved in an influence-peddling incident only this month, although Yoon denied any involvement. The allegations have caused his approval ratings to plummet and have fueled his opponents' attacks. Claims that Yoon and first lady Kim Keon Hee improperly influenced the ruling party to choose a specific candidate for a 2022 parliamentary byelection are at the heart of the controversy. According to Yoon, he did nothing improper.

Martial law: what is it?

The president of South Korea is authorized by the constitution to use the military to maintain law and order in "wartime, war-like situations, or other comparable national emergency states." Martial law authorities may temporarily restrict the authority of the courts and government organizations, as well as suspend civil liberties such the freedom of the press and assembly.

A majority vote in the national legislature is required by the constitution to end martial law. When lawmakers learned of Yoon's declaration last week, they hurried to the assembly building. To gather a quorum, some scaled the walls to get past a military perimeter. 18 members of Yoon's own party were among the 190-0 majority that voted to lift the injunction.

According to the impeachment motion currently pending, Yoon declared martial law in a situation that did not satisfy the constitutional requirement of a catastrophic crisis and much beyond his authority. A president cannot suspend parliament by using the military, according to the constitution. According to the motion, it was rebellion to halt political party activity and send troops to shut down the national assembly.

What took place during the previous weekend
Whether Yoon and other participants in the martial law decree committed insurrection, misuse of power, or other offenses is being looked at by police, prosecutors, and other agencies. The justice ministry barred Yoon from leaving the nation earlier this week, but it's still unclear if they will be able to arrest or imprison the president. According to South Korean law, a president is immune from prosecution while in office, with the exception of treason or rebellion charges. Although Yoon may theoretically be interrogated and imprisoned for his martial law declaration, authorities may choose not to do so for fear of conflict with his presidential security service. Police were unable to search the presidential office on Wednesday because to Yoon's security team.

Kim Yong-hyun, Yoon's former defense minister, attempted suicide on Wednesday night at a prison facility in Seoul but was apprehended by guards. He was the first person to be officially detained under the martial law decree after being charged with abusing his position of authority and playing a significant part in a rebellion. One of Yoon's close colleagues, Kim, resigned after martial law was lifted and has been charged with suggesting the move to Yoon and deploying military to the National Assembly to prevent legislators from voting on it. Kim's condition is stable, according to officials.

For dispatching their soldiers to the national assembly, the nation's police chief and the head of Seoul's metropolitan police were both taken into custody. Yesterday, lawmakers decided to remove the justice minister and the police chief from office.

Yoon's dismissal has been demanded by thousands of demonstrators who have been marching through Seoul's streets. Hourly strikes have been initiated by autoworkers and other members of the Korean Metal Workers’ Union, one of the largest umbrella labor organizations in the nation.

What is the background of South Korea's martial law?

In order to quell anti-government protests, leaders of the dictatorships that arose as South Korea recovered from the Korean War (1950–1953) periodically declared martial rule, which gave them the authority to deploy troops, tanks, and armored vehicles on the streets or in public areas.

 In the early hours of May 16, 1961, Army Gen. Park Chung-hee led thousands of troops into Seoul in the nation's first coup. Before being killed by his intelligence chief in 1979, he presided over South Korea for almost 20 years, enforcing martial law multiple times to quell uprisings and imprisoning dissidents.

In December 1979, less than two months after Park's passing, Maj Gen Chun Doo-hwan led troops and tanks into Seoul in the nation's second coup. He planned a violent military crackdown on a pro-democracy uprising in the southern city of Gwangju the next year, which resulted in the deaths of at least 200 people.

Large-scale street demonstrations in the summer of 1987 compelled Chun's administration to concede to direct presidential elections. Due in significant part to the liberal opposition candidates' split votes, Roh Tae-woo, his army friend who had participated in Chun's 1979 coup, won an election later in 1987.

What is the impeachment process?

The Democratic Party has submitted a new impeachment motion against President Yoon, aiming for a vote this weekend. For the motion to pass, it requires two-thirds support in parliament. Last week, the first impeachment attempt failed when most lawmakers from Yoon's governing People Power Party (PPP) boycotted the vote. However, Yoon's recent speech has intensified divisions within the PPP. During a party meeting, party chair Han Dong-hoon, a critic of Yoon, described the speech as “a confession of rebellion.” This provoked angry jeers from Yoon loyalists, who demanded Han stop speaking. Despite this, Han has urged party members to vote in favor of Yoon’s impeachment.

If Yoon is impeached, he will be suspended from office until the constitutional court decides whether to remove him. In the interim, Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, the government’s second-in-command, would assume presidential responsibilities. Should Yoon be removed from office, a new presidential election would need to occur within 60 days.