In South Korea, President Yoon Suk Yeol dropped by his own party, the opposition camps in Parliament

A protester holds a poster with an image of South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol during a rally calling for the head of state to be removed, in Seoul, December 5, 2024. ANTHONY WALLACE / AFP There is nothing left much to take from South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol for clinging to power, following his abrupt failed attempt to impose martial law in the country. While Parliament must vote on the dismissal of the head of state, the leader of his own party has withdrawn his support. “If President Yoon continues to serve as president, there is a significant risk that extreme actions similar to the declaration of martial law will be repeated, which could put the Republic of Korea [nom officiel de la Corée du Sud] and its citizens in great danger, declared Friday, December 6, Han Dong-hoon, leader of the People’s Power Party (PPP). In light of new evidence, I believe that a rapid suspension of President Yoon Suk Yeol is necessary in order to safeguard the Republic of Korea and its people. » Fearing a new coup by the president, who has disappeared from public space since Wednesday at dawn, opposition deputies have decided to camp in Parliament until the examination of the impeachment motion scheduled for Saturday evening. Demonstrations to demand the departure of Mr. Yoon should at the same time, according to the police, bring together “tens of thousands of participants” in front of Parliament and in downtown Seoul. The organizers, for their part, anticipate 200,000 demonstrators. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said he was “confident” about South Korea’s “democratic resilience” during a first telephone interview with his South Korean counterpart, his spokesperson reported Friday. According to the full statement released by the State Department, Mr. Blinken added that “the American people stand in solidarity with the people of the Republic of Korea and will continue to do so in the face of any provocation or threat against the Covenant.” Yoon Suk Yeol ordered the arrest of political leaders Yoon Suk Yeol unexpectedly declared martial law late Tuesday and deployed the army to Seoul. He explained that he had declared this state of exception to protect “liberal South Korea from the threats of North Korean communist forces and to eliminate elements hostile to the State”, in a context of standoff over the adoption of the 2025 budget. Read also | Article reserved for our subscribers In South Korea, the president’s coup attempt failed Read later He was forced to backpedal six hours later after a vote in Parliament unanimously calling for the lifting of martial law, and under pressure from the street. In his speech in the form of an indictment, Mr. Han mentioned, on Friday, “credible evidence” that the president had ordered the arrest of leading political leaders on the night of Tuesday to Wednesday. “President Yoon Suk Yeol asked the head of the counterintelligence command (…) to arrest important politicians, calling them anti-state forces, and he mobilized intelligence agencies” to do so, he said. he asserted. Read also | South Korea: after the coup of President Yoon Suk Yeol, the South Korean Parliament examines his impeachment Read later According to opposition MP Jo Seung-lae, images from the Parliament’s surveillance cameras show that the military sought to arrest the leader of the Democratic Party (the main opposition force), Lee Jae-myung, the Speaker of the National Assembly, Woo Won-shik, and even Mr. Han. Mr. Yoon’s office assured that the latter had “not given the order to arrest or detain members of the National Assembly”, according to the national news agency Yonhap. “We are receiving a lot of information regarding a second martial law. Until the vote on the impeachment law on Saturday, all members of the Democratic Party will remain in the main building of the National Assembly,” Mr. Jo also declared. Mr. Woo, the Speaker of Parliament, promised to “defend the National Assembly and protect the people and democracy” in the event of another takeover. Suspension of three senior officers Acting Defense Minister Kim Seon-ho has denied rumors of a new martial law. “This is completely false,” he said. “And even if there are demands to impose martial law, the Ministry of Defense and the General Staff will absolutely not accept them. » Friday morning, the Ministry of Defense also announced the suspension of the military commander of the capital, that of the special forces and that of counter-espionage, for their participation in operations during martial law. Le Monde Mémorable Test your general knowledge with the editorial staff of “Le Monde” Test your general knowledge with the editorial staff of “Le Monde” Discover If Mr. Yoon does not resign by then, the vote in Parliament on the impeachment of the president is scheduled for Saturday December 7 at 7 p.m. local time (11 a.m. Paris time), according to Yonhap. On Thursday, Han Dong-hoon had affirmed that the presidential party would stand against the motion, but this change of discourse seems to guarantee its success, while the opposition, the majority in Parliament, only needs to rally eight elected officials from the PPP. Read also | Article reserved for our subscribers In South Korea, the fate of the president suspended by eight votes Read later If Parliament approves, by two-thirds – or 200 votes out of 300 members –, the dismissal of Mr. Yoon, the latter will be suspended, while waiting for the Constitutional Court to validate his dismissal. A new presidential election must then be organized within sixty days. The interim would then be ensured by the Prime Minister, Han Duck-soo. Targeted by investigation for rebellion Yoon Suk Yeol’s popularity rating has reached a low of 13%, according to a Gallup poll released Friday. The president has not been seen in public since announcing the lifting of martial law in the early hours of Wednesday. He is the subject of an investigation for “rebellion,” police said Thursday. “This is an unforgivable crime, which cannot, must not and will not be forgiven,” thundered Democratic Party lawmaker Kim Seung-won. This crime is theoretically punishable by the death penalty, which has however not been applied in South Korea since 1997. Demonstrations by thousands of South Koreans in front of places of power have increased since Wednesday to demand the departure of Mr. Yoon . On Thursday, his cabinet announced the resignation of Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun. But other key officials in his government are hanging on, including Interior Minister Lee Sang-min. The opposition is also targeting other key allies of Mr. Yoon, including the short-lived martial law commander Park An-su, the army chief of staff. Read also | South Korea: after the president’s coup and demonstrations, the defense minister resigns Read later Le Monde with AFP Reuse this content



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