साउथ कोरिया में रक्षा मंत्री का इस्तीफा: मार्शल लॉ लगाने की जिम्मेदारी ली, कहा- मैंने संसद में सेना भेजी; देश में नया डिफेंस मिनिस्टर नियुक्त

Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun submitting his resignation in South Korea.

Defense Minister Kim Yong-Hyun resigned from his post on Thursday amid the controversy over martial law in South Korea. According to Korean news agency Yonhap, Kim Yong said that he is taking responsibility for the huge turmoil in the country. President Yun Suk Yeol has accepted the resignation of the defense minister, the presidential office said.

The President had announced the imposition of martial law only on the advice of Defense Minister Kim. The Deputy Defense Minister confirmed this in a media briefing on Thursday. He said that the army had entered the Parliament only on the orders of Kim Yong.

The Deputy Defense Minister also said that he did not know anything about martial law. He got this information on TV. They are saddened by the fact that they did not know anything and hence could not stop the incident at the right time.

Choi Byung-hyuk has now been made the new Defense Minister of South Korea in place of Kim Yong. He has been a four-star general in the army and currently holds the post of South Korea’s ambassador to Saudi Arabia.

New Defense Minister Choi Byung-hyuk with President Yun Suk Yeol in South Korea.

What is the Chungam group which is being accused of conspiring to impose martial law?

Opposition party MP Kim Min Seok has alleged that the ‘Chungam faction’ is behind the imposition of martial law in the country. Chungnam is a high school in the capital Seoul where the President and his friends studied.

After becoming President, Yun appointed his friends to important positions. All of them had many powers to implement martial law and they were preparing for it for many months. Defense Minister Kim has also studied in Chungam and is an old friend of the President.

According to the report, the President had called a cabinet meeting 3 hours before the imposition of martial law in which 4 people besides him were included. Apart from the Prime Minister, the Finance and Foreign Ministers had opposed the imposition of martial law. However, the President ignored his advice.

A police officer told Reuters that four hours before martial law was imposed, he had received a message from the president’s office to the national police chief asking him to be on standby.

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol (left) and former Defense Minister Kim Yong.

Why did President Yole need to impose martial law?

There are a total of 300 seats in the Parliament of South Korea. In the elections held earlier this year, the public had given a huge mandate to the opposition party DPK. The ruling People Power got only 108 seats, while the opposition party DPK got 170 seats. Due to being in majority, the opposition DPK was interfering more in the functioning of the presidential government, and they were not able to work according to their agenda.

President Yole won the election in 2022 by a slim margin. After this his popularity started declining. His image was also affected due to his wife being involved in many controversies. At present the popularity of the President is around 17%, which is the lowest among all the Presidents of the country.

To deal with all this, the President imposed martial law. He accused the DPK of sympathizing with North Korea and engaging in anti-national activities.

President Yoon announcing the imposition of martial law in South Korea.

President’s image suffered because of his wife

The President’s reputation was tarnished after he received a luxury brand bag as a gift from his wife and First Lady Kim Kyon. In fact, earlier this year, a YouTuber leaked a video in which the President’s wife was shown receiving an expensive gift from a priest. This video was filmed with a spy camera.

This bag was from Christian Dior company, whose price is said to be 2 lakh Indian rupees. He started being criticized in the country for taking such an expensive gift. In South Korea, it is illegal for any person holding public office (including family) to receive a gift worth more than 1 million Korean Won (60 thousand rupees).

Last year, dog slaughter houses were closed and dog meat was banned in South Korea. The First Lady’s campaign was considered responsible for this. The President himself had openly supported this meat ban. (file)

President’s wife’s old connection with controversies The President’s wife has a long association with controversies. In 2021, he was accused of lying about professional records and cheating in his PhD thesis. He was also accused of manipulating stock prices about 13 years ago.

Will there be impeachment against the President?

Opposition parties in South Korea have together started the process of impeachment against the President on Wednesday. Opposition parties have a total of 192 MPs. In the 300-seat Korean Parliament, two-thirds, or 200, is required for impeachment.

In such a situation, unless the MPs of the ruling party vote against the President, it is difficult to bring impeachment. The ruling People’s Party has refused to support the opposition to remove the president.

Situation after imposition of martial law in South Korea…

Helicopter deployed above Parliament House.

There was a clash between the army and opposition party workers outside the Parliament.

Opposition party workers engaged in protecting the door from breaking with furniture.

Why did martial law end in South Korea in just 6 hours?

After President Yole’s declaration of martial law, the entire opposition reached Parliament within a short time. There should be more than 150 MPs in the Parliament to remove the martial law law. By the time the army arrived to capture the Parliament, enough MPs had reached the Parliament and the proceedings had started.

However, the army tried to stop the proceedings. Many opposition MPs who were going to vote in Parliament were detained. Started breaking the windows of the Parliament to enter inside. But, by the time the soldiers reached inside, 190 out of 300 MPs of the National Assembly voted down the President’s martial law proposal.

According to the Constitution of South Korea, if the majority of MPs in the Parliament demand removal of martial law in the country, then the government will have to accept it. Opposition leaders took advantage of this provision of the Constitution and the army had to stop its operations.

The army immediately evacuated the Parliament and returned. There were helicopters above the Parliament and military tanks deployed on the road, they had to go back.

———————————————

Also read this news related to South Korea’s politics…

The President imposed martial law in South Korea: The army arrived to surround the Parliament, but by then the MPs had already voted; had to withdraw within 6 hours

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol has withdrawn the order to impose martial law in the country. The President had announced the imposition of martial law at 7 pm (Indian time) on 3 December, after which protests broke out across the country and a situation of anarchy was created. Read the full news here…

There is more news…