Police in South Korea formally began an investigation into President Yoon Suk-yeol after receiving two complaints accusing him of treason.
Yoon imposed a brief state of martial law on Tuesday night that shocked an alarmed the country, stating in a nationally televised address that military rule was necessary to combat the nefarious influence of North Korean communist sympathizers. At press time, Yoon has not named any of those alleged sympathizers or offered the public specifics on the threats that he claimed required the imposition of martial law.
The state of martial law only briefly stood, as members of the National Assembly flooded the legislative floor and voted unanimously to overturn it, exercising their constitutional power. To get to the voting floor, however, they had to barrel through a wave of soldiers deployed to enforce the ban on political activity that martial law requires, meeting minimal resistance from the heavily armed fighters. No reports of major injuries or death were reported during the martial law phase.
By the early morning hours of Wednesday, Yoon had announced that the martial law order was rescinded. He has since held a meeting with senior members of his People Power Party (PPP), who loudly protested the martial law order along with the rest of the nation’s major minority parties, but has not addressed the South Korean people.
The Democratic Party, the largest opposition party, began an impeachment process against Yoon on Wednesday. Yoon is also facing criminal proceedings however on the grounds that he may have committed insurrection or treason against his own government. The National Assembly is expected to vote on Yoon’s impeachment on Saturday.
The South Korean newswire agency Yonhap reported that the opposition Rebuilding Korea Party and a coalition of dozens of activists filed two separate complaints against Yoon for the martial law declaration, which opens a formal criminal process.
“The complaints accused not only Yoon but also former Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun, Army Chief of Staff Gen. Park An-su and Interior Minister Lee Sang-min of treason,” Yonhap reported, “and other related charges for their roles in the declaration and subsequent lifting of martial law on Tuesday.”
The head of the Rebuilding Korea Party, Hwang Un-ha, was among the first to publicly accuse Yoon of treason.
“The president committed an act tantamount to treason by mobilizing the military,” Hwang said on Wednesday. “It is clear that he cannot remain in office even for a moment longer. Therefore, we must urgently pass an impeachment motion.”
Multiple reports in South Korean outlets have identified Kim, the defense minister prior to Wednesday, as the only cabinet member who knew and supported the martial law decree. The Korea JoongAng Daily, citing anonymous sources, described Yoon as telling only Kim about the plan before about 8 p.m. on Tuesday, hours before he went on television and imposed martial law. Kim and Yoon went to the same high school.
“Most ministers who attended the meeting reportedly learned about the agenda only upon arriving at the venue. The process was carried out in secrecy,” JoongAng detailed. “Prime Minister Han Duck-soo arrived at the presidential office and expressed objections to the declaration, arguing that it could negatively impact the economy.”
“In addition to Han, Deputy Prime Minister Choi and Foreign Minister Cho reportedly strongly opposed the declaration, citing its potential impact on the economy and foreign relations,” the report continued.
The chief of staff of the army, Gen. Park An-su, told the Korean National Assembly on Thursday that he found out about the martial law decree from Yoon’s televised address – and only found out he would be the commander of the operation after Yoon published the decree itself following the national announcement.
Yoon appeared on television and painted a dire portrait of the country as vulnerable to falling into the hands of North Korean influence.
“I declare martial law to protect the Republic of Korea from the threats of North Korean communist forces, to immediately eradicate the unscrupulous pro-Pyongyang anti-state forces that pillage the freedom and happiness of our people and to protect free constitutional order,” Yoon alleged. He did not specify the nature of the threat and did not appear to convince much of the country that martial law was necessary.
The National Assembly voted against martial law shortly after 1 a.m. on Wednesday after a dramatic scene in which lawmakers had to fight soldiers to get to their chambers. Yoon rapidly withdrew and has yet to offer any public defense of his decision.
The PPP, Yoon’s party, publicly opposed the martial law declaration immediately after Yoon delivered his speech. Party chief Han Dong-hoon issued remarks stating that the decree was “wrong” and his party would fight Yoon “alongside the people.”
“As the ruling party, we feel deeply apologetic to the public for today’s disastrous situation,” Han said at a press conference on Wednesday. “President Yoon should directly explain the disastrous situation and hold those responsible strictly accountable, including the immediate dismissal of the defense minister who proposed the martial law.”
Han said on Thursday that he had demanded in talks with Yoon that he resign from party membership and the PPP was “not trying to defend the president’s unconstitutional martial law.”
The PPP, the nation’s largest conservative party, rose from the ashes of the Liberty Korea Party, which dramatically reconfigured after its last president, Park Geun-hye, was convicted and sentenced to 24 years in prison for corruption and abuse of power related to her inappropriate relationship with members of the leadership of a cult. Leftist President Moon Jae-in pardoned Park in 2021 and she attended Yoon’s inauguration. Yoon was part of the prosecution team that processed her case.
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