President of South Korea Yun Sok Yol accepted the resignation of the Minister of Defense Kim Yong Hyun, who invited him to introduce martial law on the night of December 3.
According to the Yonhap South Korean Agency, the presidential administration statement notes that the resignation of the Minister of Defense was adopted.
Martial law introduced by the president was canceled within a few hours after voting in parliament and subsequent approval of the Cabinet of Ministers.
The Minister of Defense Kim in his statement apologized to citizens yesterday for the introduction of martial law, which caused public anxiety and chaos. “All actions by military position were carried out by military personnel according to the instructions of the minister,” he said, taking full responsibility for what happened and informing his intention to resign.
Shortly before the announcement of Kim’s resignation, opposition parties introduced a proposal to the President’s impeachment to the parliament, saying that the introduction of martial law was illegal.
The Ministry of Defense confirmed that the proposal to introduce martial law came from the Minister of Kim. Previously, Kim was the head of the Presidential Security Service and was considered a close ally of Yuna.
In the place of Kim, Yun proposed to appoint an ambassador of South Korea in Saudi Arabia Choi Bun Hook. Choi, a retired general, previously held the post of commander of the United Forces of South Korea and the USA in 2019-2020.
Introduction of martial law in South Korea
President Yun Sok Yol announced martial law on December 3, referring to the participation of the opposition in “anti -state activities”.
After that, the Ministry of Defense sent instructions on the meetings to the military commanders and called for being in a state of increased readiness. Military personnel who were instructed to ensure the implementation of martial law entered the building of the National Assembly.
At an emergency meeting of the Parliament, the proposal to cancel martial law was supported by 190 deputies. Representatives of the administration of the National Assembly said that after the vote, martial law became “invalid”.
After voting in parliament, the president changed his decision, gathered a meeting of the Cabinet of Ministers and officially announced the abolition of martial law after receiving the approval of the cabinet.