President Yoon Suk-yeol’s back to the wall after his attempt to impose martial law

6 mins

Yoon Suk-yeolwhose popularity rating was already extremely low, announced the establishment of martial law during a surprise speech late Tuesday, accusing the opposition of constituting “ forces hostile to the state » in a context of heated parliamentary debate on the budget. But faced with the mobilization of the opposition, the president decided to backtrack in the early hours of the morning of Wednesday, December 4.

South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol’s chief of staff and senior aides ” presented their resignation en masse » Wednesday, according to the national Yonhap agency, after the lifting of martial law proclaimed overnight by the leader. “ Important collaborators of Yoon Suk-yeol ”, including his chief of staff Jeong Jin-seok, have “ presented their resignation en masse “, Yonhap said, without giving further details. The presidency did not immediately respond to requests from AFP.

Opposition ready for impeachment proceedings

The largest inter-union association in South Korea called this Wednesday for a “ unlimited general strike » until the resignation of President Yoon Suk-yeol. The Korean Confederation of Trade Unions, which has some 1.2 million members, called Yoon Suk-yeol’s attempt “ irrational and undemocratic measure », believing that he had “ signed his own end to power “.

Earlier, Han Dong-hoon, the head of the ruling party in South Korea, estimated that President Yoon Suk-yeol, from the same party, will have to be held accountable for having introduced martial law in the night before announce its lifting a few hours later.

For its part, the main opposition party in South Korea on Wednesday called for the president’s resignation, accusing him of “ insurrection “. “ Even if martial law is lifted, accusations of insurrection cannot be avoided » against him, Park Chan-dae, a Democratic Party official, said in a statement. If the president does not resign immediately, the Democratic Party will instantly initiate impeachment proceedings, in accordance with popular will “, indicated the formation in a press release.

Also readSouth Korea: President Yoon Suk-yeol renounces martial law, opposition calls for his resignation

Washington welcomes lifting of martial law, Japan monitors situation

The United States said to itself: relieved » Tuesday that South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol lifted the martial law he had declared a few hours earlier. “ We are relieved that President Yoon reversed his disturbing declaration of martial law and respected the National Assembly’s vote [de Corée du Sud] to put an end to it ” a spokesperson for the White House National Security Council said in a statement. The head of American diplomacy Antony Blinken also welcomed the decision and called for “ political disagreements are resolved peacefully and with respect for the rule of law “.

For its part, Tokyo monitors the political situation in Seoul with “ an exceptional and serious concern “, Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba told reporters. He also indicated that he was not aware of “ no reports of injured Japanese nationals » in South Korea.