Defending his shock decision last week to declare martial law, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol on Thursday lashed out at his political opponents as "anti-state forces" and said suspension of civilian rule was needed to investigate the election commission, which was "hacked" by North Korea. Mr Yoon said his short-lived martial law order was a legal move to protect democracy.
The President's comments came as the leader of his own People Power Party (PPP) said Mr Yoon had shown no signs of resigning and must be impeached.
Mr Yoon, who is likely to face the second impeachment vote in parliament on Saturday, vowed to fight "until the very last minute". This would be the second impeachment vote against the President after the first one, a week ago, failed because most of the ruling party boycotted the vote.
"I apologize again to the people who must have been surprised and anxious due to the martial law," he said in a lengthy address broadcast on television.
Trying to justify his move of declaring emergency rule in the first place, the President said the "criminal groups" that have paralysed state affairs and disrupted the rule of law must be stopped at all costs from taking over the government.
"Please trust me in my warm loyalty to the people," he said adding that the National Election Commission of South Korea was hacked by North Korea last year but the independent agency refused to cooperate in an investigation and inspection of its system to safeguard integrity.
Mr Yoon states the refusal was enough to raise questions about the integrity of the April 2024 election and led him to declare martial law.
The President's People Power Party suffered a crushing defeat in the April election, allowing the main opposition, the Democratic Party, to get overwhelming control of the single-chamber assembly.
"The National Assembly, dominated by the large opposition party, has become a monster that destroys the constitutional order of liberal democracy," Mr Yoon said in the televised address.
But, he said, he would "not avoid legal and political responsibility regarding the declaration of martial law".
Criminal Probe Against The President
The South Korean President is under criminal investigation for alleged insurrection over the botched December 3 martial law declaration that sparked the biggest political crisis in Asia's fourth-largest economy in decades. Lawmakers broke through a police cordon, some by scaling the fence, to enter the country's parliament and demand the President rescind the emergency decree within hours of the declaration.
A probe into last week's turmoil has swiftly gathered pace, with police on Wednesday attempting to raid the President's office. He has also been banned from foreign travel as part of an "insurrection" probe into his inner circle over the dramatic events of last week that stunned South Korea's allies.
The former interior minister and the general in charge of the martial law operation are also barred from foreign travel. Prosecutors have, meanwhile, arrested former Defence Minister Kim Yong-hyun who is accused of suggesting to Mr Yoon that he impose martial law. Two top law informant officials have also been taken into custody as part of the ongoing probe.
The main opposition Democratic Party, meanwhile, warned it would file legal complaints for insurrection against the presidential staff and security if they continued to obstruct law enforcement. The opposition is also another impeachment motion against the President on Saturday, but it needs eight members of the PPP to vote with them to oust Mr Yoon.
The President's party, which backed him during the first impeachment vote, said it would support the Saturday motion as Mr Yoon has not tendered his resignation as he "had to be stripped of power".
Just before Yoon's televised address, PPP leader Han Dong-hoon said Yoon had to be stripped of power and the only way to accomplish that was for the party to back the impeachment bill.
