On December 8, 2024, in front of the National Assembly in Seoul, a demonstrator holding a cardboard with the words “Leader of the Rebel Forces” written above an image of South Korean President Yoon Seok-yeol’s face appears in front of the National Assembly in Seoul. Participating in protests demanding his expulsion.
Philip Fong | AFP | Getty Images
South Korean President Yoon Seok-yeol has been banned from leaving the country over his failure to impose martial law, a Justice Ministry official said on Monday, amid growing calls for his resignation and a deepening leadership crisis.
Yun apologized for the failure and said he would entrust his political and legal fate to the ruling People Power Party (PPP), but he has not resigned. He is the subject of a criminal investigation, according to local media reports.
On Monday, the Defense Ministry announced that Yun is still legally commander-in-chief, but opposition to the president is growing among senior military officials, raising questions about Yun’s grip on power, and raising questions about his grip on power. announced that it would set up a task force to deal with the eventual situation involving Yoon. Resign.
When asked at a National Assembly hearing what measures had been taken against the president, who was in trouble, Oh Dong-woong, director of the Office of High-Level Corruption Investigation, said that Yoon had been ordered to be prohibited from traveling abroad.
Ministry of Justice official Bae Sang-up told the committee that the travel ban had been enforced.
People gather outside the National Assembly after South Korean President Yoon Seok-yeol declares martial law in Seoul, South Korea, December 4, 2024.
Kim Soo Hyun | Reuters
The commission was set up in 2021 to investigate senior officials, including the president and his family, but it does not have the power to prosecute the president. Instead, the law requires the matter to be referred to the prosecutor’s office.
Yun survived an impeachment vote in Congress on Saturday, but his party’s decision to delegate presidential powers to the prime minister has plunged a key US ally into a constitutional crisis.
Mr. Yoon has rejected calls for his resignation, including from within his own ruling party, and his future has become even more uncertain after Yonhap News reported over the weekend that he was under criminal investigation on suspicion of treason. It became.
Prosecutors arrested former Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun on Sunday on suspicion of being involved in the declaration of martial law on December 3, Yonhap News reported.
On December 3, Mr. Yun granted sweeping emergency powers to the military to root out what he called “anti-national forces” and obstructionist political opponents. The president rescinded the order six hours later after Congress voted unanimously against the decree, ignoring the military and police cordon.
Amid the backlash, several military officials, including the acting defense minister, said they would not abide by a new order to reinstate martial law.
The main opposition party, the Democratic Party of Japan, is calling for Yoon to be stripped of his military control authority. The Democratic Progressive Party also demanded the arrest of Yun and other military personnel involved in the martial law debacle.
People march in heavy rain to protest South Korean President Yun Seok-Yeol as strikes and protests continue amid the martial law crisis in Seoul, South Korea, December 5, 2024.
Daniel Cheng | Anadolu | Getty Images
Yun’s People’s Power Party (PPP) has set up a task force to deal with, among other things, “political stabilization after martial law and (Yin’s) early and orderly resignation,” a spokesperson announced on Monday. .
On Sunday, Democratic Progressive Party leader Han Dong-hoon said the president would be removed from diplomatic and other state affairs and that Prime Minister Han Do-soo would manage political affairs until Yoon ultimately resigns.
The proposal has drawn criticism from opposition parties as violating the constitution. The newspaper said that Yun must be impeached or resign and face legal prosecution, and that another impeachment filing is scheduled for Saturday.
Jang Yong-soo, a professor at Korea University’s law faculty, said the president can delegate authority to the prime minister, especially control of the military, but there is debate over whether the prime minister has the authority as head of state. I would like to talk about foreign affairs.
“Also, unlike the vice president in the United States, the Korean prime minister is not elected through elections, so democratic legitimacy is weak. Therefore, there is a question of how long this system will last.”
military opposition
Opposition leader Lee Jae-myung warned on Monday that a political crisis could cause irreparable damage to Asia’s fourth-largest economy and the world’s main supplier of memory chips.
South Korea’s Ministry of Finance and regulators said they will do their best to stabilize financial markets by introducing contingency plans and increasing liquidity by the end of December.
In the latest sign of dissent within the military, the commander of South Korea’s special forces said last week that he had been ordered to send troops to Congress to block a vote to reject martial law.
Col. Kim Hyeon-tae, commander of the 707th Special Task Group, told reporters that he was responsible for the unit’s actions, but that he was acting on orders from then-Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun.
Col. Kim Hyeon-tae, commander of the 707th Special Task Group, holds a press conference in front of the Defense Convention Center in Yongsan, Seoul, South Korea at 8:30 a.m. on December 9, 2024.
Chris John | Null Photo | Getty Images
“We were all victims taken advantage of by the former defense minister,” the colonel told reporters in front of the Defense Ministry in Seoul.
He said he had not informed the military of his plans to speak to the media for fear of being stopped.
Mr. Yoon’s decision to declare emergency rule and grant sweeping powers to the military sparked street protests and heightened alarm among South Korea’s allies.
U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin canceled plans to visit South Korea, and Secretary of State Antony Blinken called his South Korean counterpart and said he expected democratic processes to prevail.
The United States has 28,500 troops stationed in South Korea as a legacy of the 1950-1953 Korean War.
The unrest in Seoul comes at a critical geopolitical moment for the region, amid heightened military ties between Moscow and North Korea, which is sending troops to support Russia’s war against Ukraine. be done.
South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yeol said he was “regrettable” that the incident occurred at a time of heightened security threats facing the country.
