Ruling Party Leader Demands Suspension of South Korean President’s Powers Amid Martial Law Scandal

A dramatic shift has occurred within South Korea’s ruling People Power Party (PPP) following President Yoon Suk-yeol’s controversial declaration of martial law, Al Jazeera reports.

PPP leader and Justice Minister Han Dong-hoon, a close political rival of the President, has called for the immediate suspension of Yoon’s presidential powers, citing “credible evidence” of attempts to arrest political opponents.

Han revealed that he had learned of an order from the President to the defence counter-intelligence commander to arrest leading political figures deemed “anti-state forces.” This action, Han said, involved the mobilization of intelligence agencies.

This announcement marks a stark reversal from Han’s previous stance of opposing impeachment proceedings against Yoon. He justified this change of heart, saying that newly uncovered facts necessitate halting the President’s power to prevent further national chaos. He emphasized President Yoon’s failure to acknowledge the illegality of his martial law declaration and expressed deep concern about the risk of similar actions in the future.

Yoon’s six-hour martial law declaration on Tuesday night, which saw troops deployed to the National Assembly, was swiftly overturned by a unanimous 190-0 vote in the National Assembly. While the order was lifted at 4am, the incident led to clashes between soldiers and lawmakers and protestors.

The President now faces an impeachment investigation alongside several key officials, including the resigned Defence Minister Kim Yong-hyun, Army Chief of Staff General Park An-su, and Interior Minister Lee Sang-min, all accused of treason.

The opposition Democratic Party has scheduled an impeachment vote for Saturday night. However, they require at least eight votes from the ruling party to achieve the necessary two-thirds majority in the 300-member National Assembly. A successful vote would trigger a Constitutional Court ruling on Yoon’s removal from office.

Han’s call for suspension represents a significant crack within the ruling party. Until now, the PPP had resisted impeachment efforts, with analysts suggesting that lawmakers feared a repeat of the backlash experienced after the impeachment of former President Park Geun-hye in 2016. Park, later pardoned, received a 20-year prison sentence for corruption. The case highlights the precarious political landscape in South Korea, where four of its seven presidents since the late 1980s have faced impeachment or imprisonment for corruption.