President Yoon declared a state of emergency at the beginning of the week, which was only in effect for hours before the parliament revoked it.
Kai Jääskeläinen,
STT-AFP
President of South Korea Yoon Suk-yeol has given a televised speech before the parliamentary vote on his impeachment later today. Yoon addressed the nation on Saturday morning local time.
In his speech, he apologized for his decision to declare a state of emergency in the country from the beginning of the week. Yoon explained his decision by saying that he was desperate as president.
He stressed that he is not going to avoid the charges that are brought against him.
Yoon says he will let his party decide how to stabilize the country’s political situation, including whether he will continue in office.
The president added that the rumors that he was planning a new state of emergency are not true.
– There is no new state of emergency, Yoon stated in his speech.
Yoon ended his speech by bowing as a sign of apology.
Before the speech, Yoon had not been seen in public since the night before Wednesday local time.
South Korea’s parliament is scheduled to vote today on the impeachment of the president. The president declared a state of emergency at the beginning of the week, which was only in effect for a few hours before the parliament revoked it. The case started a political turmoil in the country.
A two-thirds majority is required for the impeachment motion to be approved. However, acceptance has been considered likely.
“Premature dismissal of the president cannot be avoided”
Leader of the ruling Conservative Party Han Dong-hoon said shortly after Yoon’s speech ended that the president’s early dismissal cannot be avoided. Han added that the president is no longer in a position where he can exercise his power and fulfill his duties.
Leader of South Korea’s main opposition party Lee Jae-myung commented on the president’s speech, saying that he will do everything possible to end Yoon’s term early. According to Lee, President Yoon’s “political existence itself is a danger to the entire nation.”
Sources: Reuters, AFP