SEOUL: South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol’s switch from contrition to defiance on Thursday (Dec 12) over his martial law order rallied some supporters but other members of his party said it did nothing to sway their view that he must be removed from office.
In a speech before a second impeachment vote scheduled for Saturday, Yoon condemned his political opponents as “anti-state forces” that side with enemies in North Korea, said Pyongyang may have hacked the South’s elections and defended last week’s short-lived martial law order as a legal move to protect democracy.
The remarks hit many of the talking points featuring on conservative YouTube channels and marked a sharp change of tone from a speech before the first impeachment vote last week in which he apologised and said he would place his political future in the hands of his People Power Party.
It was unclear what caused the change but Yoon gave no sign of supporting a proposal by PPP leader Han Dong-hoon for him to resign in coming months and to hand authority to the prime minister and ruling party until then.
The speech brought to the fore divisions in the PPP changing tack, Han urged party members to vote for impeachment on Saturday, a move greeted by shouting from pro-Yoon lawmakers, who voted in Kweon Seong-dong as their new party floor leader shortly after Yoon’s speech.
Kweon, a Yoon supporter, said the party’s position was still to oppose the president’s impeachment but that a meeting would be held before Saturday’s vote to finalise plans.
