South Korean President Resolutely Defends Martial Law 'To The End'

In a televised speech on December 12, President Yoon said that calling the military to the National Assembly during martial law could not be considered an act of rebellion, while ignoring calls for him to resign.

He stressed that the decision to impose martial law was a "well-considered political decision" to protect the nation and ensure state operations amid the opposition's paralysis of the government. "Whether I am impeached or investigated, I will face everything fairly," he said.

President Yoon accused the opposition of obstructing government operations with impeachment efforts and crucial budget cuts for next year.

Following martial law, South Korea's parliament passed next year's budget of 673.3 trillion won ($471.5 billion), after the main opposition party cut back and moved to impeach the state auditor general and prosecutors despite opposition from the ruling People Power Party (PPP).

"The National Assembly, dominated by the major opposition party, has become a monster that destroys the constitutional order of liberal democracy," President Yoon asserted. Currently, the largest opposition Democratic Party holds 171 seats in the 300-member National Assembly.

In addition, Mr. Yoon revealed that he had instructed former Defense Minister Kim Yong Hyun to inspect the National Election Commission's voting system to assess the system's reliability.

"I will fight until the last moment with the people," Mr. Yoon declared, apologizing once again for the inconvenience caused by the short-term martial law decision.

Prior to this public speech, PPP leader Han Dong Hoon still expressed support for the impeachment move against Mr. Yoon to avoid further confusion, and urged party lawmakers to vote based on their "beliefs."

Ngoc Anh (according to Yonhap)