South Korea's Yoon apologises for imposing botched martial law, falls short of resigning from office

Days after jolting the country with a botched martial law, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol said that he is “sincerely sorry” for making the controversial move and causing havoc across the nation. In his address to the nation, Yoon pledged not to make any such attempts in the future but fell short of stating whether he would step down from office.

The proclamation from the South Korean leader came as his Opposition pushed an impeachment motion against him and his supporters demanded his resignation. “I am sincerely sorry and apologize to the people who must have been very surprised,” Yoon said in a televised public address, hours ahead of a parliamentary vote on an impeachment motion against him, Yonhap reported.

This was Yoon’s first public appearance after he declared martial law on Tuesday, which was called off by the South Korean lawmakers in six hours. In his address, Yoon mentioned that he imposed martial law due to “desperation” and acknowledged that the decision was abrupt.

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The South Korean president admitted that the abrupt move to call for martial law in the country caused “concerns and inconvenience” to the people, insisting that it was unwarranted. While he did not mention if he would resign from office, Yoon vowed to leave all decisions, including his term, to his People Power Party to stabilize the nation.

“I will not avoid legal and political responsibility related to this martial law declaration,” the South Korean president remarked. Meanwhile, Yoon is losing support even from the leaders of his own party, which is currently ruling the country.

Han Dong-hoon, the leader of the People Power Party, told reporters on Saturday that “an early resignation (of Yoon) is unavoidable,” adding the president is no longer in a position to perform his duties effectively. The comment came after Yoon’s national address as the opposition-controlled National Assembly is set to vote on a motion to impeach him later today.

When asked about the prospects of introducing a constitutional amendment to shorten the term of the South Korean president, Han said that the party would deliberate on the matter and discuss the best course of action. It is pertinent to note that at least 8 PPP lawmakers need to cross the aisle for the opposition impeachment motion to be successful in the national assembly.

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In light of this, the head of the main opposition party, the Democratic Party, urged the PPP to support the motion. While speaking to reporters after a meeting with party members at the National Assembly, Rep. Lee Jae-myung, the head of the Democratic Party said: “Rather than predicting the outcome, it is imperative that the motion is approved.”

Yoon was elected as the president of South Korea in 2022, if he manages to save his seat, he will stay in power until 2027. As per the country’s Constitution, the president is not allowed to run for office again.