South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, in his first statement since declaring a short-lived martial law last week, has said that it was an act of governance and denied rebellion charges, while suggesting that he has no intention to step down.
President Yoon, in a televised statement on Thursday, called out his political opponents as “anti-state forces” and said that martial law was needed to investigate the country’s election commission over North Korean hacking attempts.
President Yoon’s statement comes hours ahead of another impeachment motion to be tabled in the country’s parliament, National Assembly, by the main opposition Democratic Party, which plans to put the motion on a floor vote this Saturday.
Police officers block protesters outside the National Assembly after South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol declared martial law in Seoul, South Korea, December 4, 2024. Yonhap via REUTERS
“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,” Yoon said.
The martial law decree, which was announced on December 3 by President Yoon and later withdrawn after parliamentarians blocked the move by voting against it, has generated political turmoil and protests across the country.
Yoon said that the martial law decree was “legal” and that it was meant to defend the county’s liberal democracy and constitutional order from opposition’s “parliamentary dictatorship”.
Yoon further added that the martial law introduction cannot constitute for insurrection and that he is ready for investigations and impeachment. “I will fight to the end,” he said near the end of a lengthy address broadcast on television.
The first impeachment motion, which was tabled by the opposition led alliance last week, failed as the ruling People Power Party boycotted the vote.
President Yoon’s comments have come at a time when the leader of his own party has said the president had shown no signs of resigning and must be impeached, reported Reuters.
