South Korea’s President Yoon Suk Yeol on Thursday defended his decision to declare short-lived martial law saying it was a measure to protect the country’s democracy.
In a televised statement, Yoon accused the opposition of trying to remove him from office.
“I will fight to the end, to prevent the forces and criminal groups that have been responsible for paralyzing the country’s government
and disrupting the nation’s constitutional order from threatening the future of the Republic of Korea,” Yoon said.
“The National Assembly, dominated by the large opposition party, has become a monster that destroys the constitutional order of liberal democracy,” Yoon said, while going on to condemn the “national crisis.”
His comments on Thursday came as the leader of Yoon’s own party said the president had shown no signs of resigning and must be impeached.
Yoon’s statement came hours ahead of the opposition Democratic Party’s (DPK) submission of a new impeachment motion against him.
More to follow…
kb/rmt (AP, AFP, Reuters)
