When Yoon declared the state of emergency, he said a goal was to eliminate “shameless North Korea followers and anti-state forces” that he said were plotting rebellion, in an apparent reference to the opposition Democratic Party.
MDT/AP
Yoon replaces his defense minister
S Korea’s president replaced his defense minister yesterday as opposition parties moved to impeach both men over the stunning-but-brief imposition of martial law that brought armed troops into Seoul streets.
The Democratic Party and other small opposition parties submitted a joint motion to impeach President Yoon Suk Yeol on Wednesday over his martial law declaration the previous night. Martial law lasted about six hours, as the National Assembly quickly voted to overrule the president, forcing his Cabinet to lift it before daybreak Wednesday.
Jo Seoung-lae, spokesperson of the Democratic Party, said it will push for a National Assembly vote on Yoon’s impeachment motion on Saturday, calling his martial law declaration an “unconstitutional, illegal rebellion or coup.”
Yesterday, Yoon’s office said he decided to replace Defense Minister Kim Yong Hyun with Choi Byung Hyuk, a retired general who is South Korea’s ambassador to Saudi Arabia.
Yoon’s office didn’t provide any further comments by him. He hasn’t appeared in public since his televised announcement that martial law was lifted.
