South Korea's ruling party leader Han Dong-hoon resigns after pushing for Yoon's impeachment

South Korea’s ruling People Power Party leader Han Dong Hoon stepped down as the party president days after the country’s president Yoon Suk Yeol was impeached by the National Assembly. Yoon was suspended from the office a week after his botched martial law bid jolted Seoul, leaving many demanding his resignation.

While addressing the media on Monday, Han said that his position became untenable after he decided to support Yoon’s impeachment. “Martial law in the advanced nation that is South Korea, in 2024. How angry and disappointed must you all have been?” the ruling party leader said at the press briefing. Han’s resignation came as the constitutional court said it had begun reviewing Yoon’s impeachment.

According to South Korean news outlet Yonhap, investigators are also planning to question the suspended president this week. Han used to be one of the closest allies of Yoon in the party and served as the Justice Minister in the past. During the Monday press briefing, the South Korean leader defended his decision to break with the president after he attempted to impose martial law earlier this month.

“Even though [the martial law] was done by a president our party produced, being misunderstood as defending illegal martial law that mobilised the military is a betrayal of this great country,” he said, adding he had been “terrified” of potential bloodshed between citizens and soldiers if martial law had not been lifted.

‘I tried every way to find a better path’: Han

During the presser, Han maintained that he tried every way to find a better path to deal with the ongoing political turmoil in South Korea. “I tried in every possible way to find a better path for this country other than impeachment, but in the end, I could not. It’s all because of my shortcomings. I’m sorry,” he remarked.

The resignation marked a complete collapse of the alliance between Yoon and Han, who worked together as prosecutors before Yoon entered politics. The relations between the two politicians started showing cracks earlier this year when Han broke ranks to suggest the presidential couple should apologise over allegations that the first lady had accepted a luxury Dior bag.

The alliance broke soon after it was revealed that Han was among the several politicians, including opposition figures, whom Yoon ordered arrested during his brief declaration of martial law. After the information came to light, Han asked the party to support Yoon’s impeachment, calling the South Korean president “a great danger to democracy”.

Constitutional Court begins hearing Yoon impeachment case

On Monday, all six current justices of the constitutional court attended the first meeting over the impeachment of Yoon, which was passed on Saturday. The court now has a 180 days deadline to decide whether Yoon should be removed from office or reinstated as the country’s president.

If Yoon is ousted, a national election will be conducted to choose his successor. The deadline to hold the election is 60 days after Yoon steps down. Until then, South Korean Prime Minister Han Duck-soo will take over as the acting president of the country.

Yoon and a number of senior officials are slated to face potential charges of insurrection, abuse of authority and obstructing people from exercising their rights for the short-lived martial law. In regards to this, a joint team of investigators from the police, the defence ministry and an anti-corruption agency are planning to call in Yoon for questioning on Wednesday.

South Korea witnessed the imposition of martial law for the first time in more than four decades. However, the martial law lasted for only six hours after the National Assembly overturned the president’s decree despite facing challenges from the South Korean troops.

With inputs from agencies.