South Korean law enforcement will ask ousted President Yoon Suk-yul to appear for questioning this week over his short-lived martial law decree, as the investigation expands into whether his ill-considered seizure of power amounted to rebellion.
A joint investigation team including the police, the anti-corruption agency and the Defense Ministry plans to transfer a request to Yoon’s office for him to appear for questioning on Wednesday, police said on Monday.
The opposition-controlled National Assembly impeached Yoon on Saturday over a martial law decree he issued on December 3. His presidential powers will be suspended until the Constitutional Court decides whether to formally remove him from office or restore him to office. If Yoon is removed, an election to choose his successor must be held within 60 days.
Yoon justified the introduction of martial law as a necessary measure to rule against the opposition, which he described as “anti-state forces” obstructing his agendas and vowed to “struggle to the end” against efforts to remove him from office.
Hundreds of thousands of protesters have poured into the streets of the capital, Seoul, in recent days, demanding Yoon’s ouster and arrest.
South Korea’s parliament voted on Saturday to impeach President Yoon Suk-yul over a short-lived martial law decree, a historic rebuke welcomed by cheering crowds who described the outcome as another challenging moment in the country’s resilient democratic journey.
It remains unclear whether Yoon will agree to investigators’ request for an interview. South Korean prosecutors, who are conducting a separate investigation into the incident, reportedly asked Yoon to appear before the prosecutor’s office for questioning on Sunday, but he refused to do so. Repeated calls to the Seoul Prosecutor’s Office went unanswered.
Yoon’s office also resisted a police attempt to search the complex for evidence.
The request came before the Constitutional Court meets to discuss the issue later on Monday. The court has up to 180 days to rule, but observers say the court’s ruling could come faster.
In the case of the parliamentary impeachment of the two previous presidents – Roh Moo-hyun in 2004 and Park Geun-hye in 2016 – the court spent 63 days and 91 days, respectively, before deciding to reinstate Roh and dismiss Park.
In the past 24 hours, South Korean President Yoon Suk-yul declared martial law, but his decision was unanimously rejected by a parliamentary vote. Andrew Chang explains the turmoil that led to the president’s announcement, and what it says about the state of politics in South Korea. Images courtesy of Reuters and Getty Images.
Prime Minister Han Dak-soo, who will serve as acting president while Yoon’s powers are suspended, and other government officials sought to reassure allies and markets after Yoon’s surprise move paralyzed politics, halted high-level diplomacy and complicated efforts to revive the government. Faltering economy.
Liberal opposition leader Lee Jae-myung, whose Democratic Party has a majority in the National Assembly, urged the Constitutional Court to issue a quick ruling on Yoon’s impeachment and proposed setting up a special council for political cooperation between the government and parliament.
Lee, a controversial lawmaker who for years has led a political attack against Yoon’s government, is seen as the most likely candidate to replace him. He lost the 2022 presidential election to Yoon by a very narrow margin.
Kwon Seung-dong, leader of Yoon’s conservative People Power Party, separately criticized Lee’s proposal, saying it was “not right” for the opposition party to behave like the ruling party.
Koyon, a Leon loyalist, said his party would use existing dialogue channels between the PPP and the government “to continue to bear responsibility as a ruling party until the end of President Yoon’s term.”
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