South Korea's president apologises for declaring martial law

As South Korea’s parliament prepare to vote on the President’s future, Yoon Suk Yeol broke his silence after his attempt to impose martial law.

South Korea’s president apologised on Saturday for his attempt to impose martial law hours ahead of a parliamentary vote on impeaching him.

President Yoon Suk Yeol said in a brief televised address on Saturday morning that he won’t shirk legal or political responsibility for the declaration and promised not to make another attempt to impose it.

He said he would leave it to his party to chart a course through the country’s political turmoil, “including matters related to my term in office.”

“The declaration of his martial law was made out of my desperation. But in the course of its implementation, it caused anxiety and inconveniences to the public. I feel very sorry over that and truly apologise to the people who must have been shocked a lot,” Yoon said.

Since taking office in 2022, Yoon, a conservative, has struggled to push his agenda through an opposition-controlled parliament and grappled with low approval ratings amid scandals involving himself and his wife.

In his martial law announcement on Tuesday night, Yoon called parliament a “den of criminals” bogging down state affairs and vowed to eliminate “shameless North Korea followers and anti-state forces.”

A National Assembly vote on an opposition-led motion to impeach Yoon is set for Saturday afternoon, but it wasn’t immediately clear whether the motion would get the two-thirds needed to pass.

The opposition parties that jointly brought the impeachment motion control 192 of the legislature’s 300 seats, meaning they need at least eight additional votes from Yoon’s conservative People Power Party.

That appeared more likely after the chair of Yoon’s party called for his removal on Friday, but the party remained formally opposed to impeachment.

If Yoon is impeached, his powers will be suspended until the Constitutional Court decides whether to remove him from office. If he is removed, an election to replace him must take place within 60 days.

The turmoil resulting from Yoon’s declaration has paralysed South Korean politics and sparked alarm among key diplomatic partners, including neighbouring Japan and Seoul’s top ally the United States, as one of the strongest democracies in Asia faces a political crisis that could unseat its leader.

Tuesday night saw special forces troops encircling the parliament building and army helicopters hovering over it, but the military withdrew after the National Assembly unanimously voted to overturn the decree, forcing Yoon to lift it before daybreak Wednesday.

The declaration of martial law was the first of its kind in more than 40 years in South Korea.