South Korean president apologises, saying he'll take responsibility for attempt at martial law

South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol today apologized for the public anxiety caused by his brief imposition of martial law hours before a parliamentary impeachment vote. In a televised address this morning, he stated that he would not evade legal or political responsibility for the declaration and pledged not to attempt to impose martial law again.

Yoon stated that he would leave it to his party to map out a response to the nation's political turmoil, including "matters relating to my term." He also said, "I declared martial law in a state of desperation. But in the process of implementing it, it caused anxiety and inconvenience to the public. I feel very sorry for this, and I sincerely apologize to those who must have been startled."

Since taking office in 2022, the conservative Yoon has struggled to advance his agenda in the opposition-controlled parliament and has faced low approval ratings due to scandals involving himself and his wife. On Tuesday evening, when announcing martial law, Yoon called the parliament a "den of criminals" hindering state affairs and vowed to purge "shameless North Korea followers and anti-state forces."

The opposition-led motion to impeach Yoon is scheduled for a vote in parliament this afternoon, though it is unclear whether the motion will garner the required two-thirds majority. The opposition parties that co-sponsored the impeachment motion control 192 of the legislature's 300 seats, meaning they would need at least eight additional votes from Yoon's conservative People Power Party.

Although Yoon's party is officially opposed to impeachment, this appears more likely after the party's leader yesterday called for his removal. If Yoon is impeached, his powers would be suspended until the Constitutional Court decides whether to remove him from office. If he is removed, an election must be held within 60 days to replace him.

The turmoil caused by Yoon’s bizarre and ill-considered move has paralyzed South Korean politics and alarmed key diplomatic partners, including neighboring Japan and Seoul’s main ally, the United States, as one of Asia’s strongest democracies faces a political crisis that could lead to its leader’s removal. On Tuesday night, special forces surrounded the parliament building and army helicopters circled overhead, but the military withdrew after parliament voted unanimously to overturn the decree, forcing Yoon to cancel martial law before dawn on Wednesday.

The declaration of martial law was the first in South Korea in over 40 years. Since then, thousands of people have taken to the streets of Seoul in protest, waving banners, chanting slogans, and dancing to K-pop songs with rewritten lyrics calling for Yoon to step down. Yesterday, a small group of Yoon's supporters gathered near the parliament, holding signs that read, "We oppose unconstitutional impeachment."

Opposition lawmakers have said that Yoon's attempt to impose martial law amounted to a self-coup and have drafted the impeachment motion around charges of insurrection. The leader of the main liberal opposition Democratic Party, Lee Jae-myung, told reporters that Yoon's address was "deeply disappointing" and that the only way out is his immediate resignation or impeachment.

Parliament said today that it will convene at 5 p.m. local time. It will first vote on a bill to appoint a special prosecutor to investigate allegations of influence peddling surrounding Yoon's wife, and then vote on impeaching Yoon. It is unclear whether members of Yoon's People Power Party will defect to vote in favor of impeachment. A minority of 18 lawmakers from the party joined the unanimous vote to cancel martial law, which passed 190 to 0. However, the party has decided to oppose impeachment.

Experts say that the People Power Party fears that Yoon's impeachment and potential removal would throw the conservatives into disarray and make them vulnerable to losing a presidential by-election to the liberals. Yesterday, Han Dong-hoon, the leader of the People Power Party who also led the minority faction that helped cancel martial law, called for Yoon's constitutional powers to be suspended, saying he was unfit to hold office and could take more extreme actions. But Han is not a lawmaker, and the party’s position remains opposed to impeachment.

Han said he received intelligence that during the brief period of martial law, Yoon ordered the country's Defense Counterintelligence Command chief to arrest and detain unspecified key political figures on charges of "anti-state activity." Following Yoon's televised address, Han reiterated his call for Yoon to step down, saying the president was no longer in a state to perform his duties normally.

“President Yoon Suk-yeol’s early resignation is inevitable,” Han told reporters. Hong Jang-won, the first deputy director of the National Intelligence Service, later told lawmakers in a closed-door briefing that Yoon called him after imposing martial law and ordered him to assist the Defense Counterintelligence Command in detaining key political figures. According to lawmaker Kim Byung-kee, who attended the meeting, the targeted political figures included Han Dong-hoon, Lee Jae-myung, and National Assembly Speaker Woo Won-shik.

The Defense Ministry said it has suspended the head of the Defense Counterintelligence Command, Yeo In-hyung, whom Han accused of receiving Yoon’s orders to detain political figures. The ministry has also suspended the commanders of the Capital Defense Command and the Special Warfare Command for their involvement in implementing martial law. Former Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun, accused of advising Yoon to impose martial law, has been banned from traveling and is facing a prosecutor's investigation on charges of insurrection. Defense Vice Minister Kim Sun-ho has testified to parliament that it was Kim Yong-hyun who ordered troops to deploy to parliament after Yoon imposed martial law.