South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol on Thursday vowed to fight “until the very last minute”, in a defiant address defending his shock decision to declare martial law and deploy troops to the country’s parliament last week.
The South Korean leader is barred from foreign travel as part of a probe into his inner circle over the dramatic events of December 3-4 that stunned Seoul’s allies and threw it into some of its deepest political turmoil in years.
Now staring down an impeachment vote in parliament on Saturday, Yoon vowed to “fight with the people until the very last minute”.
“I apologise again to the people who must have been surprised and anxious due to the martial law,” he said in a televised address.
“Please trust me in my warm loyalty to the people.”
Yoon argued that the exercise of the president’s power to declare emergency martial law was “not subject to judicial review like the exercise of the power of amnesty and the exercise of foreign affairs”.
But he said he would “not avoid legal and political responsibility regarding the declaration of martial law”.
Yoon also accused the opposition of causing a “national crisis”.
“The National Assembly, which is dominated by a large opposition party, has become a monster that destroys the constitutional order of a liberal democracy,” he said.
Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) lawmaker Jo Seung-lae said Saturday’s impeachment vote would take place around 5pm (local time).
The motion needs to win support from eight members of the ruling People Power Party (PPP) to secure the necessary two-thirds majority.
On Thursday, PPP leader Han Dong-hoon urged party members to attend the meeting and vote “according to their conviction and conscience”, adding he was in favour of removing Yoon.
The opposition formally submitted a second impeachment motion against Yoon on Thursday, following last week’s failed attempt to remove him from office after ruling party lawmakers largely boycotted the vote.
The bloc needs eight MPs from the ruling party to vote in favour of the impeachment, and several ruling lawmakers have indicated their intention to do so in the next vote, scheduled for Saturday.
Han’s comments came as Yoon aide Kweon Seong-dong was picked as the party’s new floor leader on Thursday.
Kweon said he will prepare for “a presidential election that could possibly be soon held”.
DPK chief Lee Jae-myung urged Yoon to resign voluntarily to stop undermining the country’s economy and international image.
“Why should 52 million South Koreans have to suffer because of your small pride and stubbornness,” Lee said.
Senior DPK lawmaker Park Jie-won described Yoon as “crazy” and called for an immediate arrest of the “head of the insurrection”.
“We cannot entrust a madman with military control of the presidency for even one second,” he said in a social media post.
Police on Thursday attempted another raid on Yoon’s presidential office compound, Yonhap news agency reported, a day after a similar attempt was blocked by security guards.
The DPK warned it would file legal complaints for insurrection against the presidential staff and security if they continued to obstruct law enforcement.
Yonhap said Thursday’s raid focused on the headquarters of the military’s Joint Chiefs of Staff, which reportedly agreed to cooperate with the investigation.
South Korea’s capital has been rocked by daily protests since last week, with thousands gathering to demand Yoon’s resignation.
Kim Jae-hee, 34, said she would be hitting the streets on Saturday to protest for Yoon’s impeachment.
“I want to witness history,” she said. “I also know a lot of friends who are doing the same.”
And Yoon’s inner circle has come under intense scrutiny for their alleged role in last week’s martial law declaration.
Parliament on Thursday passed motions to impeach national police chief Cho Ji-ho and Justice Minister Park Sung-jae, suspending them from official duties, over their enforcement of martial law.
Prison authorities on Wednesday said former defence minister Kim Yong-hyun tried to kill himself shortly before his formal arrest the previous day.
Kim, who is accused of urging Yoon to impose martial law, was first detained on Sunday, and later formally arrested on charges of “engaging in critical duties during an insurrection” and “abuse of authority to obstruct the exercise of rights”.
