TRANSCRIPT
South Korea’s parliament has introduced a motion to impeach President Yoon Suk Yeol following his failed attempt to impose martial law.
Chung Myung-Ho is Head of the Proceedings Bureau at The National Assembly, working to impeach President Yoon.
“On December 4, impeachment motion against President Yoon Suk Yeol was proposed by 191 people, including Park Chan-dae, Cho Kuk, Chun Ha-ram, Yoon Jong-o, Yong Hye-in, and Han Chang-min, and also another impeachment motion against the Minister of Defence Kim Yong-hyun was proposed by 170 people including Park Sung-joon.”
A vote on the motion could happen as early as Friday.
The opposition Democratic Party, which holds a parliamentary majority, will need support from at least eight members of Mr Yoon’s party for the motion to pass.
The ruling People Power Party has vowed to block the move, raising uncertainty over the process.
Celeste Arrington is an Associate Professor of Political Science and International Affairs at the Korea Foundation at George Washington University and Director of the G-W Institute for Korean Studies.
She says Mr Yoon's declaration of martial law violated South Korea's Constitution.
“This is pretty shocking and seemed to be a sort of, somewhat extreme move. I think he (President Yoon) is an inexperienced politician. He never held political office before and has shown signs over the last months of being increasingly frustrated with the political logjam that he faces domestically. So probably some level of frustration, I guess. In the Constitution, you can only declare martial law in extreme cases of national emergency or, you know, like wartime or an incident or military need. And so, this clearly is not a context that fits those criteria.”
The declaration led to dramatic scenes in Seoul, with armed troops storming the National Assembly followed by protests.
Parliamentary aides used fire extinguishers to repel them, while protesters clashed with police outside.
Within hours, Parliament, with 190 of its 300 members present, unanimously passed a resolution to overturn martial law, including all 18 members of Mr Yoon’s party who attended.
There have been mixed reactions from residents.
77-year-old Park No-hwa, says martial law was indeed necessary.
"If martial law is declared it will surely be chaotic but for the sake of the country we have to right the ship. It is regrettable martial law was lifted and there are pros and cons, but the state of South Korea worries me. I have lived long enough but I want our children to live in a free democratic country peacefully and happily. But that is not what is happening. Those cunning Democratic Party lawmakers have taken over and are denying the government its right to rule. As a citizen I don't understand this.”
19-year-old student Oh Tae-yoon, believes the president made the declaration of martial law in haste.
"I cannot help but think it was a rash choice. I cannot take care of the future generation of the country but I want our lawmakers to do their best so these kind of things never happen."
Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova says the United States was to blame for the situation on the Korean peninsula.
"We are observing with concern the tragic events unfolding in South Korea. I hope that they will not affect the social and political situation, which is already complicated on the Korean peninsula due to the provocative actions of the United States of America and its allies. We also recommend to all Russian citizens, our compatriots who are in South Korea, to be in contact with our embassy, which has published the relevant contact information."
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has welcomed the withdrawal of the martial law decree, praising South Korea for its emergence of democracy and democratic resilience.
" We were not aware. We're obviously watching this very carefully. Very good to see that the martial law edict was withdrawn by (South Korean) President Yoon (Suk Yeol) after the parliament voted against it. And for us, this is one of the most critical alliances that we have anywhere in the world. South Korean democracy is one of the most powerful stories anywhere in the world. It's very important that any disputes, differences, political differences be resolved peacefully and pursuant to the rule of law. That's what we're seeing now. That's what's so important to sustain."
South Korean Defence Minister Kim Yong Hyun offered to resign over the declaration of martial law, and President Yoon's senior policy advisers say they will step down.
