South Korean Interior Minister Lee Sang-min said Thursday that former Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun had suggested imposing a martial law decree. President Yoon Suk Yeol.
This came after President Eun Suk Yeol selected Choi Byung-Huk to replace Kim Yong-Hyun as Defense Minister, the Presidential Office announced.
Opposition parties had earlier tabled an impeachment motion against Defense Minister Kim, accusing him of advising President Yoon to impose martial law.
On Wednesday, Kim offered his resignation and expressed regret for the public disruption, taking full responsibility for the military’s actions. He said, “All soldiers involved in martial law duty were acting under my instructions, and the responsibility rests entirely with me,” according to the Defense Ministry.
Meanwhile, an impeachment motion against Yun was tabled in the parliamentary plenary session early Thursday morning. According to Yonhap News Agency, South Korea’s parliament is scheduled to vote on the proposed impeachment at around 7pm (local time) on Saturday.
President Yoon declared martial law late Tuesday, citing continued threats from North Korea and the presence of “anti-state forces.”
More than 280 military personnel, including soldiers transported by helicopter, were deployed to secure the South Korean parliament building.
Yoon defended the declaration as necessary to “secure a liberal South Korea” to eliminate threats posed by North Korea’s communist regime and eliminate anti-state elements.
