Shocking Apology: South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol Confronts Martial Law Scandal

Ahead of a legislative vote on his impeachment, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol expressed regret for his brief effort to declare martial law on Saturday and agreed to take any legal repercussions. Yoon Suk Yeol said in a televised speech that his People Power Party (PPP) will determine his political destiny, that he deeply regretted whatever difficulty and worry he had caused the nation, and that he would never again call for martial law. He also pledged to accept any political or legal repercussions for his actions.

PPP leader Han Dong-hun demanded Yoon’s resignation right away following the speech, claiming he was no longer qualified to hold the position. An impeachment resolution was filed by opposition lawmakers, but it was uncertain if they would be able to obtain the necessary two-thirds majority to approve it. The opposition needs at least eight votes from the PPP in order to win 192 of the 300 seats in the National Assembly. Just hours after Yoon imposed martial law, 18 PPP members voted on Wednesday to end it. The vote was interrupted by heavily armed troops encircling the National Assembly.

Key allies like the United States and Japan are alarmed by Yoon’s divisive activities, which have caused a political crisis. Using insurrection as the foundation for the impeachment motion, opposition MPs contend that Yoon’s declaration of martial law amounted to a self-coup. At a parliamentary meeting, the PPP voted against impeachment despite Han’s demand for his resignation.

Han warned that Yoon constituted a major national security threat and called for the urgent suspension of his authority on Friday. Han further asserted that Yoon had ordered the arrest of prominent MPs, including himself, opposition leader Lee Jae-myung, and National Assembly speaker Woo Won Shik, during the brief martial law era. According to Han, Yoon ordered the nation’s defense counterintelligence commander to hold the legislators hostage on suspicion of engaging in “anti-state activities.”