Cabinet offers resignation: martial law lifted in South Korea – opposition announces charges of high treason

In South Korea, cabinet ministers have collectively offered their resignation to the prime minister. This was reported by the Chosun Ilbo newspaper, citing an insider close to the ruling party.

The main opposition Democratic Party called on Yoon to resign or face impeachment over the declaration of martial law. “Even if martial law is lifted, he cannot escape charges of treason. It was made clear to the entire nation that President Yoon can no longer lead the country normally. He should resign,” senior DP lawmaker Park Chan-dae said in a statement.

The National Assembly can impeach the president if more than two-thirds of the deputies vote in favor. The proceedings would then be heard by the Constitutional Court. Yoon’s party has 108 seats in the 300-member parliament. In the event of resignation or impeachment, Prime Minister Han Duck-soo would take over as party leader. New elections would then have to take place within 60 days.

Parliament insisted on lifting martial law

President Yoon Suk Yeol declared martial law on Tuesday, only to lift it just a few hours later. In doing so, he triggered what was probably the biggest political crisis in decades in Asia’s fourth largest economy. Yoon’s behavior also led to an argument in Parliament late Tuesday evening. A coalition of lawmakers from opposition parties said they would present a bill to impeach Yoon on Wednesday, which would be voted on within 72 hours.

In a televised address, Yoon first told the nation that martial law was necessary to protect the country from nuclear-armed North Korea and anti-state forces from the North and to preserve the free constitutional order, although he did not name specific threats. Within hours, South Korea’s parliament, where 190 of the 300 lawmakers were present, unanimously passed a motion to lift martial law, including all 18 lawmakers from Yoon’s party. The president then rescinded the statement. As Newsis and Yonhap news agencies reported on Wednesday, Yoon’s chief of staff and senior secretaries have apparently already offered to resign.

After the president lifted martial law, cheers broke out among protesters outside the National Assembly. “We won,” they chanted. However, further protests are expected on Wednesday. South Korea’s largest union federation, the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions, announced that thousands of its members would go on strike until Yoon resigned.

US welcomes repeal

The declaration of martial law in South Korea sparked international concern. One of the most important allies is the USA. 28,500 US soldiers are stationed in South Korea to protect the ally against the nuclear power North Korea. The White House said on Tuesday that it was relieved that South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol had changed course regarding the imposition of martial law in South Korea.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken also welcomed Yoon’s decision. “We continue to expect that political differences will be resolved peacefully and in accordance with the rule of law,” Blinken said. However, the US had called on US citizens in South Korea to avoid areas where protests are taking place, the US Embassy in Seoul said in a statement. The Korean War on the peninsula lasted from 1950 to 1953 and ended with an armistice. In fact, the two Korean states are still at war.

Although South Korea had a number of authoritarian governments in its early days, it has been considered democratic since the 1980s. Since the founding of the Republic of South Korea in 1948, martial law has been declared in more than a dozen cases.