South Korea: National Assembly to question PM, ministers over imposition of martial law


Seoul, Dec 14 (IANS) South Korean National Assembly is set to hold a parliamentary session Friday to question the Prime Minister and other officials who attended a controversial Cabinet meeting shortly before President Yoon Suk Yeol’s botched martial law declaration.

The main opposition Democratic Party (DP) will also report a new impeachment motion against Yoon over his failed bid to impose martial law, days after he survived impeachment due to a lack of quorum, Yonhap news agency reported.

During Friday’s interpellation session, opposition lawmakers are expected to question the Cabinet members about Yoon’s public address the previous day, which largely centred on defending his martial law declaration and denying it was an act of insurrection.

The opposition has requested the attendance of Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, Finance Minister Choi Sang-mok, Education Minister Lee Ju-ho and Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul, among others.

At another interpellation session Wednesday, Han apologised over the martial law turmoil and said no one agreed with Yoon’s plan at the brief Cabinet meeting held just minutes before the declaration.

The DP plans to put Yoon’s new impeachment motion up for a vote at a parliamentary plenary session on Saturday.

By law, an impeachment motion must be put to a vote between 24 and 72 hours after it is reported to a plenary session.

Following the scrapping of the first motion, the DP vowed to push for the passage of Yoon’s impeachment every week.

–IANS

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