의회독재와 맞서서 끝까지 싸우겠다고 발표한 윤석열.
S Korea's President Yoon vows to 'fight to the end'
1:05
South Korea: How two hours of martial law unfolded
Embattled South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol has defended his shock decision to declare martial law last week, saying he did it to protect the country's democracy.
In a surprise televised address on Thursday, he said the attempt was a legal decision to "prevent the collapse" of democracy and counter the opposition's "parliamentary dictatorship".
Yoon has suggested that he would not step down ahead of a second vote to impeach him in parliament on Saturday.
"I will stand firm whether I'm impeached or investigated," he said. "I will fight to the end".
The president and his allies are facing investigations on insurrection charges, and he and several of them have been banned from leaving South Korea.
On Thursday, the opposition-led parliament voted to impeach police chief Cho Ji-ho and justice minister Park Sung-jae. The two officials have been immediately suspended.
Unlike impeachment motions against presidents, which require 200 votes in the 300-strong National Assembly to be passed, other officials can be impeached with 150 votes.
In his address, his first since his apology over the weekend, Yoon denied that his martial law order was an act of insurrection, claiming that his political rivals were creating "false incitement" to bring him down.
Yoon repeated many of the same arguments that he used on the night he declared martial law: that the opposition was dangerous, and that by seizing control, he had been trying to protect the public and defend democracy.
However, Yoon added that he would not avoid his "legal and political responsibilities".
South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol faces growing calls for his impeachment
Last Saturday, an attempt by opposition lawmakers to impeach the president failed after members of his own ruling People Power Party (PPP) boycotted the vote. But opposition members are set to hold another impeachment vote this weekend and have vowed to hold one every Saturday until Yoon is removed from office.
The floor leader of the PPP, Choo Kyung-ho, stepped down after the failed impeachment attempt, and on Thursday the party elected Kwon Seong-dong, a Yoon loyalist, as his replacement.
Kwon told reporters on Thursday that he would hold discussions with PPP lawmakers on whether they should continue opposing Yoon's impeachment.
Yoon's party had been hoping to convince the president to leave office early, rather than force him out.
Minutes before Yoon spoke, his party leader Han Dong-hoon appeared on television saying it had become clear that the president was not going to step aside. Han then urged members of the party to vote to remove him from office this Saturday.
The opposition tabled another impeachment motion on Thursday, setting the stage for a vote at 17:00 local time (09:00 GMT) Saturday.
If South Korea's parliament passes the impeachment bill, a trial would be held by the Constitutional Court. Two-thirds of that court would have to sustain the majority for Yoon to be removed from office permanently.
Yoon has been a lame duck president since the opposition won the April general election by a landslide - his government has not been able to pass the laws it wanted and has been reduced to vetoing bills proposed by the opposition.
Yoon also accused North Korea sympathisers of trying to undermine his government when he declared martial law on the night of 3 December.
The announcement plunged the country into political turmoil. Protesters faced off against security forces in front of the National Assembly building while lawmakers scrambled to vote down Yoon's order.
Yoon withdrew his martial law order hours after it was blocked by lawmakers.
Since then, the country has remained on edge. There have been huge protests and strikes calling for Yoon's impeachment, and the presidential office was raided on Wednesday as Yoon faces multiple investigations on charges of insurrection and treason.
Meanwhile, ex-defence minister Kim Yong-hyun, who resigned and took responsibility for announcing martial law, attempted suicide while in detention on Tuesday, officials said. He is in a stable condition.
N Korea mocks 'dictator' Yoon's 'insane' martial law attempt
2 days ago
Jean Mackenzie
Seoul correspondent
Reporting fromSeoul
Koh Ewe
BBC News
Getty Images People take part in a rally featuring K-POP musics to protest against South Korean Yoon Suk Yeol, after the parliament passed a bill to appoint a special counsel to investigate Yoon over his failed attempt to impose martial law, near the National Assembly, in Seoul, South Korea, on 10 December, 2024. Getty Images
North Korean state newspaper Rodong Sinmun describes Yoon's shock martial law declaration as "insane"
North Korea has responded to South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol's failed attempt to impose martial law, likening it to a military coup and accusing him of trying to run a "fascist dictatorship".
Yoon made the shock declaration last week, accusing North Korea sympathisers of trying to undermine his government. His political future is still uncertain, with members of his own party so far refusing to impeach him.
An article on page six of North Korean state newspaper Rodong Sinmun on Wednesday said that Yoon's "insane act" was "akin to the coup d'etat of the decades-ago military dictatorship era".
"He brazenly brandished blades and guns of fascist dictatorship at his own people," the article stated.
North Korea is led by Kim Jong Un, who is considered a dictator by the international community. His family has ruled the reclusive nation for decades by cultivating a personality cult that portrays the Kims as semi-divine.
The Rodong Sinmun said the developments in Seoul have "revealed the weakness in South Korean society, that Yoon's sudden martial law declaration is an expression of desperation, and that Yoon's political life can end early".
The article had photos of the protests in Seoul, including those of young South Koreans carrying banners and K-pop light sticks.
Yoon's short-lived martial law plunged the country into political turmoil. He remains in office but has been banned from leaving the country while being investigated for treason. Though it is unclear what, if any, authority he still has.
The leader of Yoon's party, Han Dong-hoon, said he would no longer be involved in state affairs until his early exit from power is arranged. However, a roadmap for such an early exit is not expected until the end of the week.
The defence ministry said Yoon still has command over the armed forces. But the special warfare commander had said that his men would not follow any new martial law orders.
There were fears North Korea might choose to exploit this crisis, and provoke Seoul, while there are doubts over the President's command of his army.
An attempt to impeach the President over the weekend had failed, after Yoon's ruling People Power Party chose to boycott the anonymous vote.
But the opposition Democratic Party, which holds the majority in parliament, has vowed to keep trying to impeach Yoon, with another vote expected on Saturday.
It needs at least eight members of Yoon's party to cross over and vote to impeach the president with a two-thirds majority of the 300-seat parliament.
Additional reporting by Jake Kwon in Seoul
S Korea ex-minister linked to martial law move attempts to take his life
2 days ago
Getty Images Kim Yong-hyun speaks during a joint news conference at the State DepartmentGetty Images
Former defence minister Kim Yong-hyun
South Korea's former defence minister Kim Yong-hyun, who claimed full responsibility for the president's failed attempt to place the country under martial law last week, has tried to take his own life, an official said.
Authorities found him while making the attempt in his detention centre on Tuesday night, Shin Yong-hae, the justice ministry's correctional agency chief, told lawmakers.
In the wake of Yoon's shock martial law order, Kim resigned last week along with other top presidential staff.
He had been detained on Sunday for investigation, before he was formally arrested on insurrection charges.
Kim was in stable condition following the attempt, Shin said.
Kim is among top officials who are facing investigations for their role in Yoon's short-lived martial law order, which has sparked widespread fury in South Korea.
Tens of thousands of people have taken to the streets calling for the president's resignation or impeachment.
Yoon is also being investigated for alleged insurrection. While he has apologised for the martial law declaration, he has not accepted growing calls for him to step down.
Kim, who was named defence minister in September, said he apologised "deeply" in a statement on Tuesday and said "all responsibility for this situation lies solely with me"
