South Korea's President Yoon Suk Yeol attends the third session of the G20 Leaders' Meeting in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on Nov. 19, 2024. ((Luis Robayo/AFP/Getty Images via TNS)
South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol looks determined to battle on rather than step down early even as probes deepen into his martial law declaration and more members of his party say they will back impeachment.
Yoon will likely fight any bid to impeach him and appears to have rejected the idea of quitting early in February or March, according to Kim Jong-hyuk, a senior ruling party member, speaking in an SBS radio show on Wednesday.
As the political turmoil triggered by Yoon continues to intensify, the opposition Democratic Party is preparing to file another impeachment motion in parliament that has an improved chance of passing in a vote likely to take place on Saturday.
Meanwhile, police looking to enter the presidential office as part of their investigation into Yoon have been in a standoff outside the office for hours.
Separately, arrested former Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun, who is believed to be one of the key figures in the martial law declaration, attempted suicide. Kim has no health issues following the attempt to take his life, according to Yonhap News.
The president is fighting to stay in his role after his brief declaration of martial law last week stunned the nation and its allies. The shock move has sparked political chaos, initially spooked financial markets and fueled public outrage.
Markets have shown more resilience in the last couple of days with the Kospi equity benchmark finishing the day with a 1% gain. The Korean won edged down 0.1% against the US dollar as it was buffeted by moves in China’s currency.
The opposition is edging closer to securing the 200 votes needed to pass its next impeachment bid in parliament. The DP’s second motion to impeach Yoon will likely be filed Thursday for a vote on Saturday, according to a party spokesman.
“The vote is likely to come down to the wire on Saturday,” said Choi Young Jun, a professor of public policy at Yonsei University. “People’s ire is running so high the president will probably be impeached eventually whether it’s this week or next. Political concerns about who will replace him won’t help him much.”
People Power Party lawmaker Kim Jae-sub said he would back an impeachment motion this time round, bringing the number of ruling party politicians who have publicly said they are prepared to vote in favor of impeachment to five. The opposition needs at least eight ruling party votes to pass the motion.
A successful motion would result in a Constitutional Court case lasting up to 180 days. If the court rules against Yoon, he would be forced out of office and a presidential election called within two months.
Yoon takes the view that even if he is impeached, the Constitutional Court only needs one of its six members to vote against impeachment for it to be dismissed, according to Kim Jong-hyuk.
The police investigation team looking into the martial law declaration arrived at the presidential office in Yongsan around 11:45 a.m. Wednesday, only to be kept outside, Yonhap News reported, citing the team. Yoon wasn’t present at the office, though the warrant identified him as a suspect, Yonhap added.
The standoff had been going on for more than five hours amid disagreement over the search procedure, Yonhap reported late in the afternoon. If law enforcement personnel were to enter the grounds of the president’s office to conduct a raid, that would be the first time in history, Yonhap added.
“A raid on the presidential office is quite unheard of because of laws related to military secrets,” said Lee Changhyun, a criminal law professor at the Hankuk University of Foreign Studies Law School.
The opposition parties condemned Yoon’s office for blocking the search attempt by the police and urged the presidential office to cooperate in the police investigation and accept the lawful execution of the search warrant.
There were still few confirmed details of former Defense Minister Kim’s attempt on his life. His warrant for allegedly playing a key role in insurrection and abusing power marks the first approval of formal arrests in a series of investigations under way against President Yoon and his subordinates. Yoon has already been banned from traveling overseas.
The police said earlier that it could seek an emergency arrest of Yoon, if conditions are met, following a review. Yoon has been on the lookout for a legal team, contacting a former colleague of his who previously worked at the prosecution, Yonhap News reported, citing legal and political sources.
The Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials, an independent agency under the national government, is seeking to wrest control of the case from police and prosecutors. The group has raised concerns about potential bias within law enforcement, as police may have been involved in enforcing the martial law decree, and Yoon’s past experience as a prosecutor might affect how his case is handled.
With assistance from Seyoon Kim, Sam Kim, Youkyung Lee, Jaehyun Eom and Sarina Yoo.
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