South Korean president vows to ‘fight to the end’ in defiant speech
SEOUL, South Korea — South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol vowed Thursday to “fight to the end” as he faces calls to step down over his failed attempt to impose martial law, defending his actions and lashing out at his political opponents in a defiant speech.
In a lengthy national address, Yoon accused “anti-state forces” in the opposition-controlled parliament of paralyzing the government and undermining the rule of law. He largely repeated comments he made last week when he announced the surprise martial law order, saying it was necessary to protect democracy.
Yoon also said for the first time that North Korea hacked into South Korea’s National Election Commission last year.
Yoon, 63, is under criminal investigation over the short-lived martial law declaration, which plunged the East Asian democracy and key U.S. ally into chaos. Lawmakers defied a security cordon around the National Assembly to vote unanimously to reject the order, which Yoon lifted early Dec. 4, about six hours after he announced it.
Yoon apologized for the order Saturday but remains in office despite mass protests calling for his ouster.
Lawmakers from Yoon’s conservative People Power Party (PPP) boycotted an impeachment vote Saturday, causing the motion to fail. The party says that Yoon has effectively been suspended from duty and that it will “restore order” by ensuring his early departure from office, working with Prime Minister Han Duck-soo in the meantime to manage state affairs.
After Yoon’s address Thursday, the leader of the PPP said he must be impeached.
“Basically, the speech was a rationalization of this situation and de facto confession that he has committed rebellion,” party leader Han Dong-hoon said. “I propose that PPP adopt voting for the impeachment as our party platform.”
Han, who said he did not know about the national address in advance, said he was ordering an emergency meeting to expel Yoon from the party.
“I believe this is the time to make clear where we stand,” he said. “This is a very serious situation, and what he said in his national address cannot be accepted by the people, and we also cannot accept it from the standpoint of democracy.”
Roh Jong-myung, a spokesperson for the main opposition Democracy Party, said that while it was a positive sign that Han recognized the seriousness of the situation, “he is too late.”
The next impeachment vote is set to be held Saturday around 5 p.m. local time (3 a.m. ET). Though the opposition controls parliament, it is eight seats short of the 200 it needs for the bill to pass.
Stella Kim reported from Seoul and Jennifer Jett from Hong Kong.
