South Korea’s ruling party leader said on Friday that President Yoon Suk Yeol needs to be removed from authority for trying to impose martial law, but stopped short of urging members to vote for impeachment.
Yoon shocked the nation and his own ruling People Power Party on Tuesday when he imposed martial law in order to root out “anti-state forces” and overcome obstructionist political opponents.
He reversed course about six hours later after parliament, including some members of his party, voted to oppose the decree.
The main opposition Democratic Party has scheduled an impeachment vote for Saturday evening, and the national police have launched an investigation into Yoon on claims of insurrection filed by an opposition party and activists.
Speaking after a People Power Party meeting at the parliament on Friday, leader Han Dong-hoon said Yoon had ordered the arrest of prominent politicians on the grounds they were among those “anti-state forces” during the martial law.
On Thursday, the ruling party said it was against impeachment, but Han suggested that stance may be shifting in light of “credible evidence” that Yoon had intended to arrest and detain political leaders at Gwacheon, just south of Seoul.
“I said yesterday that I would try not to pass this impeachment in order to prevent damage to the people and supporters caused by the unprepared chaos, but I believe that President Yoon Suk Yeol’s immediate suspension of office is necessary to protect the Republic of Korea and its people in light of the newly revealed facts,” Han said.
He did not explicitly call for impeachment or respond to reporters when asked for clarification.
Fearing another attempt to declare martial law, opposition lawmakers were rotating through parliament’s plenary session hall to block any such attempt, a Democratic Party official said.
Ruling party meets
The PPP was holding an enlarged meeting with rank-and-file lawmakers to discuss the 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 triggered the implosion of the conservative party and a victory by liberals of the presidential and general elections.
Yoon Sang-hyun, a five-time ruling party lawmaker, said he still opposed impeachment, complaining Han did not consult 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 for the sake of protecting President Yoon Suk Yeol, but for the sake of 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, said she believed the people had already psychologically impeached Yoon.
Images of Ahn grappling with a soldier and grabbing hold of his gun outside parliament on Tuesday went viral on social media as a symbol of 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 plunged to a new low of 13%, according to the latest Gallup Korea poll released on Friday.
