South Korean president defends martial law decision, vows to fight impeachment

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol defended his controversial martial law declaration, describing it as a necessary act of governance and rejecting the charges of insurrection against him.

He vowed to resist impeachment and any investigations into the martial law decision "until the last moment," Caliber.Az reports citing Korean media.

In a televised address, Yoon argued that the deployment of troops to the National Assembly during the martial law period could not be classified as insurrection. He refused to heed calls for his resignation, asserting that he used his presidential authority to declare martial law in order to "protect the nation and normalize state affairs" against the opposition that paralyzed the government, calling it a "highly calibrated political judgment."

"Whether I am impeached or investigated, I will fairly confront it," he said.

He accused the opposition of obstructing the government through impeachment motions and cuts to critical budget plans for the following year, characterizing their actions as a "a frenzied sword dance."

After Yoon's martial law decree, the National Assembly approved a budget of 673.3 trillion won (about $471.5 billion), which had been reduced by the opposition party. The assembly also passed impeachment motions against the state auditor and prosecutors, despite strong opposition from the ruling People Power Party (PPP).

Yoon criticized the National Assembly, saying that it had become a "monster" that undermines the constitutional order of free democracy, with the opposition's 171 seats dominating the 300-member parliament.

Yoon also revealed that he had ordered former defense chief Kim Yong-hyun to verify the National Election Commission’s voting system, which had raised concerns over its integrity after alleged cyberattacks by North Korean hackers.

"I will fight till the last moment together with you," Yoon said, once again apologizing for causing inconvenience with the brief imposition of martial law.

Central to the controversy is the question of whether Yoon's actions constituted insurrection by sending troops to block a parliamentary vote intended to overturn the martial law decree. Yoon insisted that only a small number of unarmed troops were deployed to the parliament "to maintain order," and they were withdrawn once the National Assembly passed a resolution to end martial law.

Nearly 200 armed troops were sent to the National Assembly on December 3, and another 300 were stationed at facilities associated with the election commission during the six-hour martial law period.

Under South Korean law, insurrection is defined as any attempt to "overthrow government organs established by the Constitution or to render their functions impossible through the use of force."

Yoon's public address, his first in five days, came as the opposition bloc plans another vote to impeach him over the martial law declaration. Ahead of the address, PPP leader Han Dong-hoon, who had previously called for Yoon’s "orderly exit," shifted his position and expressed support for impeachment, urging party lawmakers to vote according to their "conviction."

At least six PPP members have voiced support for impeachment, with eight more needed to reach the two-thirds majority required for a successful vote. If impeachment passes, Yoon would be suspended from office, and the Constitutional Court would review the case, a process that could take up to six months.

By Vafa Guliyeva