South Korea’s Defense Minister, Kim Yong-hyun, has been arrested for his role in declaring martial law earlier this week. This made troops surround the Parliament and brought soldiers onto the streets of Seoul.
On Wednesday night, President Yoon Suk Yeol declared martial law, claiming that opposition parties were threatening the country’s democracy. This was a big deal because it was the first time in over 40 years that martial law was used in South Korea. Many people were scared by this sudden move, both in South Korea and around the world.
However, just a few hours later, President Yoon canceled the martial law after facing strong criticism from the National Assembly and protests from the public. The martial law lasted only about six hours and ended early Thursday morning.
The day after, President Yoon accepted Kim Yong-hyun’s resignation, as opposition parties began the process to impeach both him and the president. Recently, it was reported that Kim Yong-hyun has been arrested and is facing restrictions on travel while the investigation continues.
In response to this situation, South Korea’s defense ministry suspended three high-ranking commanders involved in the martial law operation.
Although there was an attempt to impeach President Yoon, it was unsuccessful. Most lawmakers from Yoon’s conservative party did not participate in the impeachment vote. This result might lead to more protests from the public, as many South Koreans support the idea of impeaching the president.
Yoon’s declaration of martial law has been criticized even by members of his own party. They fear they might lose the presidency to opposition parties if they support the impeachment. To impeach Yoon, they needed at least 200 votes in the National Assembly, but the opposition could not gather enough support. National Assembly Speaker Woo Won Shik called the situation “very regrettable,” saying it was a shame for South Korea’s democracy.
Opposition parties might try again to impeach Yoon after the next parliamentary session opens. There are fears that Yoon may not be able to finish his remaining two and a half years in office because of the damage to his leadership. Some experts think that more members from his party might join the opposition if public pressure continues to grow.
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