South Korea President Yoon apologises for martial law declaration

SEOUL - South Korea President Yoon Suk Yeol on Dec 7 morning apologised for causing a public stir by declaring martial law and promised there will not be a second martial law declaration, he said in a televised address.

He spoke at 10am local time (9am in Singapore).

The speech was the embattled leader’s first public appearance since he rescinded the martial law order early on Dec 4 just six hours after it was declared, after parliament defied military and police cordons to vote against the decree.

On Dec 6, the leader of Mr Yoon’s own People Power Party (PPP) said the president was a danger to the country and needed to be removed from power, increasing the pressure on him to quit even though PPP members later reaffirmed its formal opposition to his impeachment.

Lawmakers will vote on the main opposition Democratic Party’s motion to impeach Mr Yoon, who shocked the nation late on Dec 3 when he gave the military sweeping emergency powers in order to root out what he called “anti-state forces” and overcome obstructionist political opponents.

Some PPP members urged Mr Yoon to resign before the vote, saying they did not want a repeat of the 2016 impeachment of then-President Park Geun-hye, who left office following months of candlelit protests over an influence-peddling scandal. Her downfall triggered the implosion of the party and a victory by liberals in presidential and general elections.

In scenes reminiscent of those protests, thousands of demonstrators holding candles assembled outside parliament on Dec 6 night demanding Mr Yoon’s impeachment.

More demonstrations are expected on Dec 7 ahead of the vote.

Prosecutors, the police and the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials have all launched probes into Mr Yoon and senior officials involved in the martial law decree, seeking to pursue charges of insurrection and abuse of power, among others. REUTERS