– Considering the facts that have now come to light, I consider it necessary to immediately suspend President Yoon from his duties, in order to protect the Republic of Korea (read: South Korea) and its people, party leader Han Dong-Hoon said at a crisis meeting with the party’s management.
According to Han, it concerns, among other things, that the president should have ordered the head of counterintelligence to arrest leading politicians the other day. It happened in connection with Yoon shocking the country and the outside world late Tuesday evening, local time, and declaring a state of emergency with associated martial law. He was forced to back down just six hours later after the 190 MPs who rushed to parliament unanimously voted against his decision.
Repeated demands on the president
Han Dong-Hoon has in recent days repeated the demand for the president to leave the party but has not, until now, called for him to be stripped of his powers as president and resign. It is a new and dramatic demand.
The background is said to be that Yoon, who has not appeared or spoken since withdrawing the state of emergency, refuses to admit that he did anything wrong and wants to remain in his post.
On Saturday, a vote will take place in parliament, brought by the opposition, to impeach the president. On Thursday, the ruling party stated that they would unanimously vote against it. But Friday’s reversal and reference to troubling new facts could mean there is a majority to impeach Yoon.