SEOUL: South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol on Saturday apologised to the nation in his first public comments since his abortive attempt to impose martial law this week that has set off widespread protests and thrust the country into political turmoil.
His attempt to impose martial law led to calls for his impeachment from both the opposition and the ruling party. The impeachment vote will take place.
“This emergency martial law declaration stemmed from my desperation as the ultimate responsible party for state affairs,” Yoon said in his brief speech, which lasted just for two minutes.
Yoon said he was apologising for causing “inconvenience and anxiety” to the South Korean people and bowed his head before cameras. He said his declaration was born out of “desperation.”
Yoon said he would not seek to avoid any legal and political consequences from his decision and pledged that there would not be a second declaration of martial law.
It was Yoon’s first appearance since Wednesday morning when his martial law decree was rescinded after less than six hours, and his political isolation has been growing.
The National Assembly is set to vote Saturday on a motion for his impeachment, which is likely to pass if at least eight lawmakers from his party join the opposition in voting for it. Unions, opposition parties and other groups have called for massive demonstrations against Yoon on the same day.
Yoon said he would leave decisions about the remainder of his term and stabilising the governance of the country to his party
On Friday, Han Dong-hoon, the head of Yoon’s People Power Party, called the president unfit to lead and joined opposition lawmakers in warning that he might try to cling to power by declaring martial law a second time. Military leaders said later in the day that they would not obey another such decree from Yoon.
The president must quit: Ruling party
The ruling People Power Party leader Han Dong-hoon said that they just heard from President Yoon in a dramatic but brief address in which he said he would not be stepping down but apologised for imposing martial law.
He said that it is “impossible” for Yoon to continue. His early resignation is “inevitable.”
Opposition leader disappointed at Yoon’s speech
Opposition leader Lee Jae-myung called Yoon’s speech “very disappointing”, saying the president’s speech “did not fit the public’s expectations and only further betrayed them”.
“The biggest risk to South Korea right now is the existence of the president himself. There is no other path but an early end to the Yoon administration through resignation or impeachment,” says Lee, an MP and leader of the opposition Democratic Party of Korea.
