Martial law investigators appear for questioning to question the impeached South Korean president
South Korean law enforcement agencies are seeking to call impeached President Yoon Suk-yeol for questioning over his brief martial law, as the Constitutional Court began its first hearing on Yoon’s case on Monday to determine whether he should be removed from office or reinstated.
A joint investigation team including police, the anti-corruption agency and the Defense Ministry plans to send a request for questioning to Yoon’s office on Wednesday.
Yoon was impeached by the opposition-controlled National Assembly on Saturday over his Dec. 3 martial law decree. His presidential powers will be suspended until the Constitutional Court makes a decision on his formal removal or reinstatement. If Yoon is removed from office, an election must be held within 60 days to choose his successor.
Yoon justified the imposition of martial law as a necessary act of governance against the opposition, which he described as “anti-state forces” subverting his agenda, and vowed to “fight to the end” against efforts to remove him from office.
In recent days, hundreds of thousands of protesters have flocked to the streets of the country’s capital, Seoul, demanding Yoon’s removal from power and his arrest.
South Korea’s parliament voted on Saturday to impeach President Yoon Suk-yeol over his short-term martial law, a historic rebuke that was hailed by jubilant crowds who described the outcome as yet another challenge in the country’s robust democratic journey.
It remains unclear whether Yoon will grant an interview request by investigators. South Korean prosecutors, who are conducting a separate investigation into the incident, also reportedly asked Yoon to come to the prosecutor’s office for questioning on Sunday, but he refused. Repeated calls to the Seoul prosecutor’s office went unanswered.
Yoon’s office also resisted police attempts to search the building for evidence.
The request came before the Constitutional Court’s hearing on Monday to discuss the case. The court has up to 180 days to issue a ruling, but observers say the ruling could come sooner.
In the parliamentary impeachments of former presidents Roh Moo-hyun in 2004 and Park Geun-hye in 2016, the court took 63 days and 91 days, respectively, before ruling on Roh’s reinstatement and Park’s dismissal. .
In the past 24 hours, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol declared martial law, but the decision was unanimously rejected by a parliamentary vote. Andrew Chang explains the turmoil that led to the president’s announcement and what he had to say about the state of South Korean politics. Images courtesy of Reuters and Getty Images.
Prime Minister Han Duk-soo, who will serve as the country’s interim leader during Yoon’s suspension, and other government officials sought to calm allies and markets after Yoon’s surprise move paralyzed politics. a weakening economy.
Liberal opposition leader Lee Jae-myung, whose Democratic Party holds a majority in the National Assembly, called on the Constitutional Court to quickly rule on Yoon’s impeachment and proposed the creation of a special council for political cooperation between the government and parliament.
Lee, a fiery lawmaker who has waged political attacks against Yoon’s government for years, is seen as the leading candidate to replace him. He narrowly lost to Yoon in the 2022 presidential election.
Kweon Seong-dong, the floor leader of Yoon’s conservative People’s Power Party, separately criticized Lee’s proposal, saying it was “not right” for the opposition party to act like the ruling party.
Yoon’s impeachment, approved in parliament by some lawmakers from the ruling People’s Power Party, has created deep divisions within the party between Yoon’s loyal supporters and opponents. On Monday, PPP chairman Han Dong-hun, a vocal critic of Yoon’s military stance, announced his resignation.
Han said at the press conference, “If the martial law had not been lifted that night, a bloody incident could have occurred between the citizens and our young soldiers who would have gone out on the streets that morning.”
Martial law imposed by Yoon on Dec. 3 marks the first time in more than 40 years that the country has returned to an era of authoritarian leaders not seen since the 1980s. Yoon was forced to rescind his decree hours after parliament voted unanimously to repeal it.
Yoon sent hundreds of soldiers and police to the parliament to stop the vote, but they withdrew after the parliament rejected Yoon’s decree. There was no major violence.
Opposition parties have blamed Yoon for the rebellion, saying a president in South Korea is only allowed to declare martial law in times of war or similar emergencies, and even then he has no right to suspend parliament.
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