President justifies martial law, blames opposition for chaos

President Yoon Suk Yeol speaks during a televised public address at the presidential office in Seoul, Thursday. He refused to step down, justifying his short-lived martial law as a decisive act of governance. Courtesy of presidential office

President Yoon Suk Yeol justified his short-lived martial law, calling it a decisive act of governance that is not subject to investigation or judicial review and does not amount to rebellion.

He said he would fight impeachment or investigation, making it clear that he will not accept an orderly resignation sought by the ruling bloc.

Yoon made the remarks in a hastily planned national address on Thursday morning, nine days after he issued the martial decree and two days before a second vote to impeach him will take place at the National Assembly. The first vote last Saturday was scrapped after ruling People Power Party (PPP) lawmakers boycotted it, causing it to fail to meet the quorum.

The president said he issued the martial rule “to prevent the collapse of free democracy and constitutional order and normalize the state’s function.”

In the 29-minute address, which was prerecorded earlier in the morning, Yoon said, “I exercised the presidential right of declaring martial law to protect and restore free democratic constitutional order and normalize state affairs. By doing so, I wanted to inform the public of the crisis of the deterioration of our nation.”

Saying the decree was the president’s political decision, he said opinions that define his act as an insurrection will put the Constitution and legal system in danger.

He rejected the accusation of treason, saying, "Where the hell is a two-hour rebellion? Is it insurrection to mobilize a small number of troops to maintain order?"

Yoon virtually refused to step down, vowing to fight until the very last moment against both impeachment and a martial law probe, although he said he would not avoid legal or political responsibilities.

“Whether I am impeached or investigated, I will face the consequences. I will fight with the people until the very end. I apologize again to the people who must have been surprised and anxious due to the martial law,” he said.

The president said soldiers acting under martial law broke into the National Election Commission (NEC), citing his suspicion that the commission was vulnerable to hacking and election result manipulation, especially since the agency was not cooperating with a relevant inspection of its system. This confirmed his suspicions of a conspiracy involving election fraud.

The National Election Commission in Gwacheon, Gyeonggi Province / Yonhap

He spent most of his address blaming opposition parties for attempting to topple the government, claiming that their relentless pursuit of motions to impeach key government officials and senior prosecutors had led to his declaration of martial law.

He was referring to the opposition’s impeachment proceedings against the broadcasting watchdog chief, state auditor chief, and senior prosecutors, all of which he claimed had "severely undermined the integrity of public service and the fundamental principles of justice."

“Through excessive impeachment attempts, opposition parties have paralyzed the administration. The opposition-controlled National Assembly has become a destructive force that undermines the constitutional order of free democracy,” Yoon said.

He accused opposition parties of endangering national security and social stability, stating that they were blocking the passage of an anti-spy law revision and attempting to abolish the National Security Law.

Yoon also said the opposition is seeking his impeachment to have main opposition Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) leader Lee Jae-myung become next president. Lee faces conviction on charges related to election law violations and other offenses.

“The conviction of the main opposition party leader is imminent, and they are trying to avoid it by impeaching the president and holding early elections. They are trying to seize power by destroying the system and covering up their crimes. Isn't this a clear violation of the Constitution?” he said.

Yoon faces a second impeachment vote at 5 p.m. Saturday, a week after the first attempt to unseat him failed with most lawmakers from the PPP boycotting the vote.

Rep. Kim Min-seok of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea (DPK), center, speaks during a press conference at the National Assembly in Seoul, Thursday. Yonhap

Opposition parties condemned Yoon’s address, with many questioning the president's mental state.

“President Yoon’s statement reveals his delusional state of mind,” Rep. Kim Min-seok of the DPK said during a press conference.

“He tried to incite pro-Yoon riots by far-right forces and publicly ordered destruction of evidence to those involved in the martial law operations. The action that the nation and the Assembly now need to take is an ‘orderly’ impeachment.”

The minor opposition Rebuilding Korea Party (RKP) called for a swift passage of the impeachment.

“Yoon must be immediately suspended from duty. He’s a dangerous man and if he thinks he cannot avoid impeachment, he might do something crazy,” Rep. Hwang Un-ha, floor leader of the RKP, said during a press conference. “The joint investigation unit consisting of the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials, police and the defense ministry needs to immediately arrest Yoon, the insurrection criminal.”

Assembly Speaker Woo Won-shik once again proposed bipartisan talks to discuss matters related to Yoon’s impeachment.

“Declaring martial law to warn the National Assembly is totally unacceptable in constitutional democracy because it sends the wrong message that it’s okay to destroy the constitutional order for political purposes and that people’s basic rights can be used for political ends,” Woo said.

The NEC issued a statement, Thursday, calling the deployment of troops to its building under martial law “unconstitutional and unlawful."

"A court affirmed that claims about electoral fraud are groundless. Raising suspicions of electoral fraud due to strong doubts amounts to self-denial of the electoral management system through which he (Yoon) was elected president," the NEC said.