South Korean Prime Minister Yoon’s Disruption after his Decree to Prosecutively Declare a Martial Law
If Yoon is impeached, his presidential powers would be suspended until the Constitutional Court decides whether to restore his powers or remove him from office. A new presidential election is required if it voted for removal.
The Democratic Party is getting ready for the impeachment vote on Saturday. The police chief and justice minister were both the subject of impeachment motions by the party. The safety minister resigned before the parliament voted on removing him from his post.
In his martial law announcement, the conservative Yoon stressed a need to rebuild the country by eliminating “shameless North Korea followers and anti-state forces,” a reference to his liberal rivals who control parliament.
Opposition parties and many experts say the martial law decree was unconstitutional. South Korea wasn’t in a situation where a president could declare martial law, because it wasn’t a war-like situation. They argue that deploying troops to seal the National Assembly to suspend its political activities amounted to rebellion because the South Korean Constitution doesn’t allow a president to use the military to suspend parliament in any situation.
Prosecutors earlier arrested former Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun, who is suspected to have led martial law implementation while in his post. He has since resigned.
While his troops dispatched to the legislature were trying to enter the assembly hall, Kwak argued, Yoon called Kwak and told him to “break down the door” and “drag people out” so that the National Assembly would not have enough lawmakers to overturn martial law declaration.
The opposition-controlled parliament passed a bill Tuesday to appoint an independent special counsel to investigate Yoon and other top military officials over the martial law introduction. The main opposition Democratic Party had advocated for a special counsel investigation, arguing that public prosecutors cannot be trusted to conduct a thorough investigation of Yoon, a former prosecutor-general.
Kim is accused of playing a key role in a rebellion and staging a riot to disrupt the constitution in coordination with other military and police officers. There were reports, but prosecutors’ offices in Seoul couldn’t confirm them.
Kim said in a statement Tuesday that he “deeply apologizes for causing significant anxiety and inconvenience.” He said he was the one who ordered martial law and that soldiers who were deployed to enforce it should not be punished.
Kim has been detained since Sunday. 20 days are given to prosecutors to decide whether to indict him. A conviction on the charge of rebellion carries a maximum death sentence.
The Seoul Central District Court said it approved an arrest warrant for former Defense Minister Kim Yong Hyun on charges of rebellion and abuse of power.
The former defense minister of South Korea, who was arrested on Wednesday over his alleged involvement in last week’s martial law, was accused of conspiring with the president and others to impose martial law.
Insurrection charges are closing in on the president: an apology to the South Korean president for causing “anxiety and inconvenience”
He apologized for causing “anxiety and inconvenience” in a brief address to the nation on Saturday and vowed not to avoid “issues of legal and political responsibility,” without elaborating. Since the allegations were made in parliament, he has not made a public appearance or made a statement.
The commander of the Army Special Warfare Command said that the former minister wanted him to secure control over the National Assembly, the National Election Commission and a media company.
Military and intelligence officials who were called in to enforce martial law made incriminating statements about the former defense minister and the president.
The chief of Korea Correctional Service told the parliament that Kim attempted suicide but was in a stable condition.
A special police investigation team on Wednesday arrested the chief of the National Police Agency and the head of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency for charges of insurrection. They are suspected of stopping lawmakers from entering the parliament following the martial law declaration.
Police searched for evidence in Yoon’s office on Wednesday. The Presidential Security Service, however, blocked the investigators’ entry.
The president is considered a suspect in an investigation into possible insurrection charges because he is a high-ranking official.
SEOUL, South Korea — Investigations into insurrection charges are closing in on the South Korean president, who briefly declared martial law last week and shattered the country’s sense of stability.
Source: In South Korea, insurrection charges are closing in on the president
Towards a second impeachment motion of the re-elected chamber of the lower house of the House of Deputies
Five lawmakers with the governing party have publicly declared their support for impeachment. The opposition Democratic Party said it plans to file a second impeachment motion on Thursday and put it to a vote on Saturday.