Ruling party fears Yoon’s new martial law in Korea

Yoon Suk Yeol’s party leader calls for his immediate resignation amid political tensions and risk of crisis in South Korea

The leader of South Korea’s ruling party has called for President Yoon Suk Yeol’s immediate resignation, citing “significant risks” that Yoon is planning a second attempt to impose martial law in the East Asian country.

Han Dong-hoon, Yoon’s former political protégé and leader of the conservative People Power Party, said on Friday that he had received information that Yoon had ordered troops to arrest prominent politicians during his failed attempt to introduce martial law this week.

“I am concerned that Yoon could put the Republic of Korea and its citizens in great danger if he continues as president, as he poses a significant risk of extreme actions, such as a new attempt to impose martial law,” Han said in a televised meeting with senior party members in parliament.

His comments raised expectations that some members of his party would support the opposition’s impeachment motion. Lawmakers are expected to vote on Saturday.

The country’s constitution requires a two-thirds majority in the 300-seat National Assembly for the impeachment vote to be approved. At least eight members of the ruling PPP party must support the motion, along with the six opposition parties, which have 192 seats in the National Assembly.

Han had pledged to support Yoon in the impeachment vote, but said he changed his position in light of new reports that agents from the Defense Counterintelligence Command were deployed to arrest lawmakers at the National Assembly on Tuesday night.

“Given the new facts that have emerged, I think Yoon’s presidential duties need to be suspended as soon as possible to protect the nation and the public,” Han added.

Yoon’s martial law decree on Tuesday night and his subsequent retreat have plunged the country into political turmoil, triggering calls for his impeachment.

The country’s unions and civic groups plan to hold a rally in Seoul on Saturday to pressure lawmakers to support Yoon’s impeachment.

The ruling party will hold an emergency meeting on Friday morning to discuss its position on Yoon’s impeachment motion again, and the main opposition Democratic Party said it may adjust the impeachment vote schedule after the ruling party meeting.

“Yoon will definitely be impeached now that Han and his aides are allying with opposition parties to remove the president,” said Shin Yul, a politics professor at Myongji University. “What Yoon did seems like a self-coup. It will be difficult for the Constitutional Court to reject his impeachment, given the growing body of evidence against him.”

With information from the Financial Times*