Analysis: South Korean Lawmakers Showed the Power of Democracy

TaiwanPlus News

After South Korea's lawmakers unanimously rejected President Yoon Suk Yeol's declaration of martial law, EAIR Caucus senior fellow Hoo Chiew-Ping shares thoughts on how lawmakers stood up for democracy and what prompted the president to take such extreme action.

Transcript

00:00As the declaration and now lifting of martial law unfolded last night, and there is widespread

00:05opposition from lawmakers and citizens, what can we begin to take away?

00:11We were deeply touched by the lawmakers, not only from the opposition party, the Progressive

00:17Party, but also from the ruling party itself, 18 of them come to the National Assembly overnight

00:23so that they can vote to end the martial law.

00:26So I think in a way it really showcased the power of democracy that is very alive and

00:31well in South Korea.

00:32So the Korean people, some of them wake up to the news unaware of what happened last

00:37night.

00:38So many of them actually go to school, go to work as usual.

00:42So it's just that people who learn about what happened last night was very upset, angry.

00:47So there is a high call for the president to step down or else he will face impeachment.

00:54And that is the next step that there have been calls the Democratic Party, the opposition

01:00party in Korea, has given him 48 hours to resign or begin the impeachment process.

01:06What are the next steps both constitutionally and legally?

01:10I think the opposition party is providing President Yoo a grace period for him to resign

01:18himself.

01:20So otherwise the impeachment would be highly embarrassing and he will be the next president

01:27who will be ended in jail.

01:29So not only that, many advisors who is close to Yoon Seok-niel has offered resignation,

01:36claiming that they have no idea that the president would declare martial law and that include

01:41his own chief of staff and top senior aide in the presidential office.

01:46So there is also a call for him offering by the ruling party leader himself to President

01:52Yoon that he should fire the defense minister because apparently Defense Minister Kim is

01:59the one that suggested President Yoon to declare the martial law.

02:03Do you have any sense of why Defense Minister Kim offered this as a realistic solution for

02:07President Yoon?

02:08Due to the multiple frustrations over the past few months, since April this year, due

02:15to opposition party overtaking the majority of seats in National Assembly and hence many

02:22of the budget proposal and the legislature amendment that the ruling party proposed has

02:29been blocked by the opposition party.

02:32And there is also several scandals being investigated, including President Yoon's wife, of which

02:38he blocked for three times now.

02:40I believe this is one of the triggers for him to declare the martial law so that he

02:46will no longer face challenge by the opposition party.

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