South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol Accused of Violating Constitution by Imposing Martial Law
South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol is facing serious accusations from prosecutors, who claim he violated the constitution by declaring martial law in an attempt to avoid criminal investigations. An impeachment motion, seen by AFP, filed by opposition parties on Wednesday, accuses Yoon of “gravely and extensively violating the Constitution and the law.”
The motion asserts that Yoon’s decision to impose martial law was driven by “unconstitutional and illegal intent to evade imminent investigations” into alleged illegal activities involving himself and his family.
Additionally, the motion alleges that Yoon deployed military and police forces to block the National Assembly, detained certain members of parliament, and restricted free access to the assembly. These actions, it states, obstructed lawmakers from attending meetings and seeking to overturn the martial law decree.
The impeachment motion further emphasizes that these measures breached the principle of the separation of powers and infringed upon the rights of lawmakers to deliberate, vote, and maintain their parliamentary immunity.
Following intense public protests and a parliamentary vote rejecting the martial law, Yoon was forced to revoke the order in the early hours of Wednesday.
