Ten members of South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol's administration have offered their resignations following Tuesday's call for martial law, ABC News reported. Among those to leave is Yoon's Presidential Chief of Staff Jeong Jin-seok.
During a late-night speech Tuesday, Yoon announced that circumstances in the country warranted a military crackdown on the people. He claimed that the nation's Democratic Party, which opposes Yoon, posed a threat to the nation.
Yoon claimed that the party was aligned with North Korea, unduly exerting control over parliament and stymied the business of government. This move sparked immediate outrage that turned into protests at the National Assembly.
The order was lifted hours later when all 190 members of the governing body showed up and unanimously voted to cancel the decree. Since then, there have been calls for Yoon to step down as well.
The fallout continues as the secretaries and advisers left Yoon in the wake of the debacle. Now, the South Korean Democratic Party is calling to impeach Yoon if he doesn't tender his resignation, Fox News reported.
"President Yoon Suk Yeol’s martial law declaration was a clear violation of the constitution. It didn’t abide by any requirements to declare it," the party's statement said.
"His martial law declaration was originally invalid and a grave violation of the constitution. It was a grave act of rebellion and provides perfect grounds for his impeachment," the statement added.
Democratic Party leader Lee Jae-myung admonished Yoon's declaration as "unconstitutional" and a move that "goes against the people" with its military. "President Yoon declared emergency martial law for no reason," he said.
Some are also calling for Yoon's entire cabinet to resign in teh wake of this serious miscalculation. This was the first time the nation called in its military against its own people since it became a democracy in 1987.
A White House National Security Council spokesperson weighed in with a statement after the matter was resolved. "We are relieved President Yoon has reversed course on his concerning declaration of martial law and respected the ROK National Assembly's vote to end it," the statement said.
"Democracy is at the foundation of the U.S.-ROK alliance, and we will continue to monitor the situation," the spokesperson added. The New York Times suggested this may have happened because President Joe Biden will be handing power over to President-elect Donald Trump next month.
Of course, it also blamed Trump for this and likened Yoon's move to the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol. However, Biden has had the most influence after meddling in the region to get Japan and South Korea to improve relations.
The president declared a win in March 2023 over a "groundbreaking new chapter of cooperation and partnership" agreement between Japan and South Korea forged to de-escalate tensions, the Washington Examiner reported. Now, that legacy may be in jeopardy with Yoon's move toward martial law because of perceived political threat.
The situation in South Korea seems to have resolved for the most part. However, this will likely be another mess Biden made, and Trump will spend the next four years cleaning it up.
