Suspended South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol blamed the “malicious” opposition for his decision to declare martial law, telling a court yesterday that their refusal to applaud him or shake his hand exposed their plans to “destroy” his government.
The former prosecutor plunged democratic South Korea into political turmoil when he declared martial law on Dec. 3 last year, suspending civilian rule and sending troops to parliament.
The attempt only lasted six hours as the opposition-led parliament defied troops to vote it down, later impeaching him over the move.
Photo: EPA-EFE
Yoon was detained in the middle of last month on insurrection charges, becoming the first sitting South Korean head of state to be arrested.
He is regularly being transported from prison to hearings at the Constitutional Court, which is to determine whether his impeachment is upheld.
At yesterday’s hearing — likely the penultimate one — Yoon said that the opposition had failed to offer him due respect while he was in office.
“No matter how much they dislike me, it is the basic principle of dialogue and compromise to listen to me, and give me a round of applause for my budget speech in parliament,” the 64-year-old told the court.
Opposition lawmakers “did not even enter the main hall, and I had to give a speech to a half-empty parliament,” he said.
Such a gesture was “deeply malicious” and exposed the “opposition’s intent to destroy my government,” he added.
He then complained that opposition lawmakers attending another parliament address “turned their heads away ... and refused to shake hands.”
In his martial law declaration, Yoon labeled the opposition “anti-state elements” intent on insurrection, saying the decree was required “to safeguard constitutional order.”
Yesterday’s hearing is widely expected to be the last one before the court rules whether to uphold Yoon’s impeachment, a move that would trigger a fresh presidential election within 60 days.
Outside, Yoon’s supporters held “Stop the Steal” signs.
They have borrowed US President Donald Trump’s rhetoric to support unproven claims that South Korean elections — dominated by the opposition — were manipulated by shadowy foreign forces.
Much of Yoon’s impeachment trial has centered on the question of whether he violated the constitution by declaring martial law, which is reserved for national emergencies or times of war.
SEPARATE: The MAC rebutted Beijing’s claim that Taiwan is China’s province, asserting that UN Resolution 2758 neither mentions Taiwan nor grants the PRC authority over it The “status quo” of democratic Taiwan and autocratic China not belonging to each other has long been recognized by the international community, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said yesterday in its rebuttal of Beijing’s claim that Taiwan can only be represented in the UN as “Taiwan, Province of China.” Chinese Minister of Foreign Affairs Wang Yi (王毅) yesterday at a news conference of the third session at the 14th National People’s Congress said that Taiwan can only be referred to as “Taiwan, Province of China” at the UN. Taiwan is an inseparable part of Chinese territory, which is not only history but
NATIONAL SECURITY: The Chinese influencer shared multiple videos on social media in which she claimed Taiwan is a part of China and supported its annexation Freedom of speech does not allow comments by Chinese residents in Taiwan that compromise national security or social stability, the nation’s top officials said yesterday, after the National Immigration Agency (NIA) revoked the residency permit of a Chinese influencer who published videos advocating China annexing Taiwan by force. Taiwan welcomes all foreigners to settle here and make families so long as they “love the land and people of Taiwan,” Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) told lawmakers during a plenary session at the Legislative Yuan in Taipei. The public power of the government must be asserted when necessary and the Ministry of
CROSSED A LINE: While entertainers working in China have made pro-China statements before, this time it seriously affected the nation’s security and interests, a source said The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) late on Saturday night condemned the comments of Taiwanese entertainers who reposted Chinese statements denigrating Taiwan’s sovereignty. The nation’s cross-strait affairs authority issued the statement after several Taiwanese entertainers, including Patty Hou (侯佩岑), Ouyang Nana (歐陽娜娜) and Michelle Chen (陳妍希), on Friday and Saturday shared on their respective Sina Weibo (微博) accounts a post by state broadcaster China Central Television. The post showed an image of a map of Taiwan along with the five stars of the Chinese flag, and the message: “Taiwan is never a country. It never was and never will be.” The post followed remarks
Proposed amendments would forbid the use of all personal electronic devices during school hours in high schools and below, starting from the next school year in August, the Ministry of Education said on Monday. The Regulations on the Use of Mobile Devices at Educational Facilities up to High Schools (高級中等以下學校校園行動載具使用原則) state that mobile devices — defined as mobile phones, laptops, tablets, smartwatches or other wearables — should be turned off at school. The changes would stipulate that use of such devices during class is forbidden, and the devices should be handed to a teacher or the school for safekeeping. The amendments also say
RSS