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fullscreen South Korean President Yoon Suk-Yeol. Photo: Government of South Korea Via AP/TT
South Korea’s heavily criticized President Yoon Suk-Yeol is facing demands for his resignation and threats of impeachment from several quarters after the decision to declare a state of emergency, a decision that shocked the country.
South Korea’s largest union umbrella organization KCTU, with over a million members, is calling for a general strike until the president resigns.
– We stand on the people’s side and lead the fight for the president’s immediate resignation, says a representative of the federation at a press conference, reports the Korean news agency Yonhap.
– The general strike will be the start to end a time of polarization and inequality, adds the representative.
The country’s main opposition party, the Democratic Party (DP), is also calling for the president to resign and is threatening to impeach him if he does not resign of his own accord.
Yoon Suk-Yeol unexpectedly declared a state of emergency in a televised speech on Tuesday but was forced to withdraw it just six hours later. At the time, the parliament had voted against the introduction with 190 votes against and no votes for.
“Yoon’s declaration of a state of emergency is a clear violation of the constitution,” the DP claims in a statement.
The party adds that the basis for declaring martial law was not met. And that means that the president tried to rebel and laid a solid foundation for impeachment himself, according to the party.
When Yoon spoke on television and declared a state of emergency, he justified it by saying that the opposition is paralyzing the government with its actions, including by demanding large cuts in the budget.
A number of the president’s closest associates, including the chief of staff and the national security adviser, have offered to resign following the chaos.