Current:Home > StocksSouth Korean president's party divided over defiant martial law speech -WealthRoots Academy
South Korean president's party divided over defiant martial law speech
View
Date:2025-04-12 19:38:44
SEOUL, Dec 12 - South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol's switch from contrition to defiance on Thursday (Dec 11) over his martial law order rallied some supporters but other members of his party said it did nothing to sway their view that he must be removed from office.
In a speech before a second impeachment vote scheduled for Saturday, Yoon condemned his political opponents as "anti-state forces" that side with enemies in North Korea, said Pyongyang may have hacked the South's elections and defended last week's short-lived martial law order as a legal move to protect democracy.
The remarks hit many of the talking points featuring on conservative YouTube channels and marked a sharp change of tone from a speech before the first impeachment vote last week in which he apologised and said he would place his political future in the hands of his People Power Party.
It was unclear what caused the change but Yoon gave no sign of supporting a proposal by PPP leader Han Dong-hoon for him to resign in coming months and to hand authority to the prime minister and ruling party until then.
The speech brought to the fore divisions in the PPP. Changing tack, Han urged party members to vote for impeachment on Saturday, a move greeted by shouting from pro-Yoon lawmakers, who voted in Kweon Seong-dong as their new party floor leader shortly after Yoon's speech.
[[nid:712402]]
Kweon, a Yoon supporter, said the party's position was still to oppose the president's impeachment but that a meeting would be held before Saturday's vote to finalise plans.
The party boycotted the last vote, preventing a quorum. At least 200 votes are needed to impeach Yoon. Opposition parties have 192 seats, so they need at least eight PPP members to join.
As of Thursday, at least seven members of the party were expected to support a new impeachment motion.
One PPP lawmaker who said he would now vote to impeach Yoon said the president's new remarks may have rallied some loyalists but sowed more confusion and division among conservatives.
[[nid:712337]]
"His speech had an impact on the election of the floor leader. Also, it sounds like he urged those who blindly follow the president among conservatives to take action," PPP lawmaker Kim Sang-wook told reporters.
Kim said he felt frustrated and betrayed because the speech dashed his last hopes that Yoon would leave office in a "decent" way.
Public support for impeachment
Opinion polls show a majority of South Koreans support impeaching Yoon. A survey released by pollster Realmeter on Dec. 5 found 73.6 per cent of respondents supported impeachment, including 50.4 per cent of those who identified themselves as conservatives.
Yoon's speech lit up conservative political forums online, with the top-ranked posts titled "Martial law was the most reasonable decision", and "Han made a wrong decision".
After Yoon's speech, scuffles could be seen breaking out between attendees of a pro-conservative rally in central Seoul and an opposition supporter who removed a banner of support for Yoon's martial law declaration.
Kim Tae-hyun, who attended the rally, said he thought Yoon did a "good job" with his speech and had the right to declare martial law.
"And the impeachment just shouldn't happen... So (the martial law declaration) was merely an expression of the authority of the president," said Kim. "The Democratic Party, which is currently holding the country back, is the real issue."
[[nid:712404]]
Disclaimer: The copyright of this article belongs to the original author. Reposting this article is solely for the purpose of information dissemination and does not constitute any investment advice. If there is any infringement, please contact us immediately. We will make corrections or deletions as necessary. Thank you.
veryGood! (411)
Related
- US appeals court rejects Nasdaq’s diversity rules for company boards
- 9 killed in overnight strike in Gaza's Khan Younis, hours after Israel ordered mass evacuation
- Judge temporarily blocks Biden administration’s restoration of transgender health protections
- Why Scott Disick Cheekily Told Social Media Users to Go F Yourself
- Are Instagram, Facebook and WhatsApp down? Meta says most issues resolved after outages
- Man charged in connection to mass shooting at Oakland Juneteenth celebration
- Mindy Kaling and the rise of the 'secret baby' trend
- As temperatures soar, judge tells Louisiana to help protect prisoners working in fields
- Meta donates $1 million to Trump’s inauguration fund
- 9 killed in overnight strike in Gaza's Khan Younis, hours after Israel ordered mass evacuation
Ranking
- NHL in ASL returns, delivering American Sign Language analysis for Deaf community at Winter Classic
- Two women dead, 3 children critically injured in early morning July Fourth Chicago shooting
- What is the Nathan's hot dog eating contest record? List of champions, records
- Tom Hanks’ Son Chet Hanks Clarifies Intentions of “White Boy Summer”
- Warm inflation data keep S&P 500, Dow, Nasdaq under wraps before Fed meeting next week
- This week on Sunday Morning (July 7)
- 2 horses ran onto a Los Angeles freeway and were struck, killed by passing vehicles
- US agency to fight invasive bass threatening humpback chub, other protected fish in Grand Canyon
Recommendation
Mets have visions of grandeur, and a dynasty, with Juan Soto as major catalyst
United Airlines texts customers live radar maps during weather delays
Horoscopes Today, July 3, 2024
What are Americans searching for this July 4th? See top trending cocktails, hot dogs and more
Global Warming Set the Stage for Los Angeles Fires
At BET Awards 2024 Usher honored, Will Smith debuts song, election on minds
Verdict expected for Iranian-born Norwegian man charged in deadly 2022 Oslo LGBT+ festival attack
The best gadgets to have this summer