What happened
South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol said in televised remarks Wednesday he would not step down, despite urging from his party, and defended his six-hour imposition of martial law on Dec. 3. The brief attempt at military rule led to the arrest of Yoon’s former defense minister and embroiled the president in criminal investigations and possible impeachment. Yoon has been barred from leaving the country.
Who said what
“I will fight to the end” to protect Korea from the “anti-state forces” and “criminal groups” responsible for “paralyzing” the government, Yoon said. He had apologized for his martial law decree on Saturday. But Wednesday Yoon said he had intended only to “borrow the format of martial law” to send a “warning” to the opposition Democratic Party to stop obstructing his agenda.
The opposition-controlled National Assembly tried to impeach Yoon on Saturday, but his People Power Party party boycotted the vote. PPP chair Han Dong-hoon Wednesday urged his party to support the next impeachment vote, scheduled for this Saturday. But the PPP’s newly elected floor leader, Yoon ally Kwon Seong-dong, reiterated the party’s stance against impeachment.
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What next?
Seven PPP lawmakers have said they will vote to impeach Yoon, leaving the opposition just one vote short of the 200 needed.
