Summary
- Yoon’s ruling party convenes to discuss impeachment.
- Ruling party leader states Yoon ordered the arrest of prominent politicians.
- Opposition schedules impeachment vote for Saturday evening.
On Friday, South Korea’s ruling party leader said President Yoon Suk Yeol must be removed from office for attempting to impose martial law, but he stopped short of urging members to vote for impeachment.
Yoon shocked both the nation and his own People Power Party on Tuesday by imposing martial law to root out “anti-state forces” and confront obstructionist political opponents. However, he reversed his decision about six hours later after parliament, including some members of his own party, voted to oppose the decree.
The main opposition Democratic Party has set an impeachment vote for Saturday evening, while the national police have launched an investigation into President Yoon. The investigation follows claims of insurrection filed by opposition parties and activists.
Following a People Power Party meeting at parliament on Friday, party leader Han Dong-hoon stated that Yoon had ordered the arrest of prominent politicians. He explained that these politicians were targeted because they were accused of being part of the “anti-state forces” during the martial law.
Han’s comments added to the growing tension surrounding Yoon’s controversial actions. The opposition party has intensified its efforts to hold the president accountable for his decision to impose martial law and arrest political opponents.
The investigation and impeachment vote have sparked a fierce political battle, with both sides preparing for a critical showdown. The outcome of these actions could significantly impact the future of Yoon’s presidency.
On Thursday, the ruling party opposed impeachment, but Han suggested that position might be changing due to “credible evidence” showing that Yoon intended to arrest and detain political leaders at Gwacheon, just south of Seoul.
“I said yesterday that I would try to prevent passing this impeachment to avoid causing damage to the people and supporters due to the unprepared chaos,” Han stated. “However, given the newly revealed facts, I believe President Yoon Suk Yeol’s immediate suspension from office is necessary to protect the Republic of Korea and its people.”
He did not directly call for impeachment nor did he respond to reporters’ questions for clarification.
Concerned about another attempt to declare martial law, opposition lawmakers took turns in parliament’s plenary session hall to prevent any such move, according to a Democratic Party official.
RULING PARTY MEETS
The PPP held an enlarged meeting with rank-and-file lawmakers to discuss Yoon’s impeachment.
Cho Kyoung-tae, a senior ruling party lawmaker who supports Yoon’s impeachment, told reporters that each party lawmaker must now decide “whether they want to take the people’s side or become collaborators of martial law forces.”
Others, however, said they did not want a repeat of the 2016 impeachment of then-President Park Geun-hye, which led to the collapse of the conservative party and a victory by liberals in the presidential and general elections.
Yoon Sang-hyun, a five-time ruling party lawmaker, continued to oppose impeachment, arguing that Han had not consulted enough with senior party members. “We cannot impeach the president tomorrow and hand over the regime to Lee Jae-Myung’s Democratic Party. It is not to protect President Yoon Suk Yeol, but to protect the Republic of Korea’s system and our children’s future. I cannot participate in the impeachment of the president tomorrow,” Yoon told reporters.
Ahn Gwi-ryeong, a spokesperson for the opposition Democratic Party, stated that she believed the people had already psychologically impeached Yoon.
Images of Ahn grappling with a soldier and grabbing his gun outside parliament on Tuesday went viral on social media, symbolizing the country’s defiance against martial law. “Who could trust a president declaring martial law almost like a child playing games or entrust the nation to such leadership?” she told Reuters on Thursday.
Yoon’s approval rating plummeted to a new low of 13%, according to the latest Gallup Korea poll released on Friday.
