The Tamesis
December 13, 2024
Seoul – President Yoon Seok-yeol on Thursday rejected calls to resign, insisting that his declaration of martial law on December 3 was an inevitable and legitimate decision made by the head of state, marking another unexpected development that clearly refutes the ruling party’s An “orderly retreat” scenario.
In a 29-minute speech televised at about 9:40 a.m., Yoon said he promised to endure the ordeal until the end, demonstrating his willingness to respond legally to impeachment proceedings and investigations.
“Whether it's an impeachment or an investigation, I will face them bravely,” he said, reversing his December 7 promise to delegate power to the ruling party and government.
The speech shifted momentum toward impeachment, with ruling party Chairman Han Dong-hoon and his supporters announcing their support for impeaching Yoon on Saturday. Amid escalating internal conflicts between party factions, Han Kuo-yu criticized Yoon Eun-hye, saying his speech “highlighted the president's inability to continue serving as president” and urging party lawmakers to vote for the impeachment motion.
In his fourth national address in the past two weeks, the embattled president said he was declaring martial law based on the “high political judgment of the president” to protect the country and normalize government.
He said that the president's declaration of martial law is a sovereign act and is not subject to judicial review, similar to actions such as presidential pardons and diplomatic diplomacy.
He added that any notion that his emergency measures were an act of rebellion “poses a serious threat to our constitution and legal system, as many constitutional scholars and lawyers have noted,” without elaborating on who those experts were.
He claimed that the martial law declared by Yin on December 3 was intended to send a warning to the opposition parties, which he called “terrible”, “a group of criminals” and “unconstitutional forces”, and to inform the people of the opposition parties' “anti-national” activities.
Insisting that the “two-hour martial law” could not be charged as an act of rebellion, Yin said fewer than 300 troops were sent to Congress for the “security of the people” and ordered them to withdraw.
“If I wanted to paralyze the functions of the National Assembly, I would have declared a state of emergency on weekends instead of on weekdays,” he added. “I would have taken steps to cut off power and water to the Capitol and limit broadcast transmissions. But none of this occur.
After Mr Yoon's speech, National Assembly Speaker Oh Won-sik said in a statement on Thursday that he was “shocked” and that the president's comments should not be tolerated.
“(Yin claimed) declaring martial law as a warning to Congress is absolutely intolerable because it shows that democracy and constitutional order can be destroyed for political goals, and people's basic rights can be sacrificed for certain political goals,” Wu famously said .
John Woo suggested that the ruling People's Power Party floor leader Kwon Sung-dong and the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea lawmaker Park Chan-dae hold an immediate meeting to “avoid national instability.”
In his speech, Yin repeatedly accused the opposition party of “abusing power” and proposing a series of “unconstitutional measures”, making it difficult for him to stand idly by.
Yin also claimed that his use of executive power was within the framework of the constitution.
“The current state of paralysis in the country due to social unrest and the collapse of administrative and judicial functions has been considered sufficient reason to declare martial law,” he said.
Meanwhile, Yun accused the opposition of siding with North Korea, unilaterally cutting budget items he said were critical to North Korea's economic growth, and using legislative powers to block legal changes that would allow it to punish North Korea.
Yoon also said that as the conviction of main opposition leader Lee Jae-myung approaches, the opposition parties are rushing to impeach him and push for an early presidential election.
Lee is facing multiple trials for multiple crimes, any of which could ultimately disqualify him from running for president.
The president's impeachment may allow Lee Myung-bak to run for president earlier than currently scheduled for March 2027.
In response, Lee told South Korea's Catholic Church bishop Archbishop Chung Soon-taek on Thursday that Yoon's speech was “fueling social polarization,” as Democratic Party spokesman Han Min-soo quoted him as saying.
Kim Min-seok, a four-term member of the National Assembly and a member of the Democratic Party, also said that Yoon Eun-hye's claim that the implementation of martial law is destined to fail shows that the president is an “extremely delusional” figure.
Additionally, Yoon revealed in his speech that he had ordered then-Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun to investigate the vulnerability of the National Election Commission during martial law.
He said that despite the security breach disclosed by the National Intelligence Service, the election authorities refused to comply with the Yoon administration's request last year to inspect internal systems following a North Korean hacking attack. The National Electoral Commission invoked its constitutional immunity from outside investigation.
As Yoon Eun-hye's comments hinted at the possibility of electoral fraud during his term, the National Election Commission rejected Yoon Eun-hye's speculation in a statement on Thursday, saying such logic “denies the circumstances that led to his victory in the 2022 presidential election.” voting system”.
Yoon, who had previously vowed to hand over power to the prime minister and the ruling party, signed 21 bills on Thursday, as well as 21 presidential decrees that had been approved by the cabinet earlier, according to the government's Legal Affairs Ministry.
