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.
CREDIT-GRABBER: China said its coast guard rescued the crew of a fishing vessel that caught fire, who were actually rescued by a nearby Taiwanese boat and the CGA Maritime search and rescue operations do not have borders, and China should not use a shipwreck to infringe upon Taiwanese sovereignty, the Coast Guard Administration (CGA) said yesterday. The coast guard made the statement in response to the China Coast Guard (CCG) saying it saved a Taiwanese fishing boat. The Chuan Yu No. 6 (全漁6號), a fishing vessel registered in Keelung, on Thursday caught fire and sank in waters northeast of Diaoyutai Islands (釣魚台). The vessel left Keelung’s Badouzih Fishing Harbor (八斗子漁港) at 3:35pm on Sunday last week, with seven people on board — a 62-year-old Taiwanese captain surnamed Chang (張) and six
RISKY BUSINESS: The ‘incentives’ include initiatives that get suspended for no reason, creating uncertainty and resulting in considerable losses for Taiwanese, the MAC said China’s “incentives” failed to sway sentiment in Taiwan, as willingness to work in China hit a record low of 1.6 percent, a Ministry of Labor survey showed. The Directorate-General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics (DGBAS) also reported that the number of Taiwanese workers in China has nearly halved from a peak of 430,000 in 2012 to an estimated 231,000 in 2024. That marked a new low in the proportion of Taiwanese going abroad to work. The ministry’s annual survey on “Labor Life and Employment Status” includes questions respondents’ willingness to seek employment overseas. Willingness to work in China has steadily declined from
LEVERAGE: China did not ‘need to fire a shot’ to deny Taiwan airspace over Africa when it owns ‘half the continent’s debt,’ a US official said, calling it economic warfare The EU has raised concerns about overflight rights following the delay of President William Lai’s (賴清德) planned state visit to the Kingdom of Eswatini after three African nations denied overflight clearance for his charter at the last minute. Taiwanese allies Paraguay and Saint Kitts and Nevis, as well as several US lawmakers and the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China (IPAC) condemned China for allegedly pressuring the countries. Lai was scheduled to fly directly to Taiwan’s only African ally from yesterday to Sunday to celebrate the 40th anniversary of King Mswati III’s accession and his 58th birthday, but Seychelles, Mauritius and Madagascar suddenly revoked
The number of pet cats in Taiwan surpassed that of pet dogs for the first time last year, reaching 1,742,033, a 32.8 percent increase from 2023, the Ministry of Agriculture said yesterday, citing a survey. By contrast, the number of pet dogs declined slightly by 1.2 percent over the same period to 1,462,528, the ministry said. Despite the shift, households with dogs still slightly outnumber those with cats by 1.2 percent. However, while the number of households with multiple dogs has remained relatively stable, households keeping more than two cats have increased, contributing to the overall rise in the feline population. The trend
RSS