The president of South Korea, Yoon Suk-yeolsaid that “will fight until the last minute” in defense of the controversial martial law implemented last week. He defined it as an “inevitable” measure to protect “liberal democracy from the parliamentary dictatorship” of the opposition.
In a surprising televised speech, the president assured this Thursday that He is not “obsessed” with fully fulfilling his mandate and that he faces “with confidence” criminal investigations and attempts to remove him. Yoon said that only few and only elite troops were mobilized to prevent “accidents.”
“I will fight until the end to prevent the criminal forces and groups responsible for paralyzing the country’s government and altering the constitutional order from threatening the future of the Republic of Korea,” the president defiantly declared. Furthermore, he added: “I will not evade legal and political responsibility in relation to the declaration of martial law,” and accused the opposition of pushing the country into a “national crisis.”
Sudden appearance on TV
The president considered that a crime of insurrection is being “fabricated” against him and spreading a lot of false information. At the same time, he added that even so he will not avoid facing “legal and political responsibilities.” Yoon, who had only appeared publicly twice since martial law was decreed on December 3, made a surprise appearance saying a speech of about 10 minutes with energetic and even defiant gestures.
Yoon, who is being investigated, among other things, for the crime of insurrection that can carry life imprisonment or the death penalty, asserted that If he had really wanted to “paralyze the National Assembly (Parliament)” he would have declared martial law over the weekend.
Orders of the president and the former Minister of Defense
High military commanders have assured in recent days that both the president and Kim Yong-hyun, former defense minister who is detained and tried to commit suicide on Tuesday, they were personally given orders to empty Parliament by force. The measure was so that the deputies could not revoke the state of emergency with their votes, something that the Legislature finally achieved thanks apparently to the fact that said orders were not followed.
Yoon, who never expressed his intention to resign, also said that before proclaiming martial law he told his cabinet that it was a “unavoidable measure from the president’s perspective” and He admitted that during that meeting, of which apparently there are no minutes, “many opposing opinions were expressed.”
South Korea: the former Minister of Defense tried to commit suicide and the presidential office was raided
He Former South Korean Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun He attempted suicide during his arrest. This was stated by the head of the country’s penitentiary service, while the political crisis in the country grows. At par, The South Korean Police raided the presidential office as part of an investigation against the president. Yoon has been banned from leaving the country as prosecutors weigh possible insurrection charges and opposition lawmakers continue to seek his impeachment.
Source: Ambito
