Main opposition proposes impeachment motion for defense minister after martial law turmoil

The main opposition Democratic Party (DP) proposed a motion to impeach Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun on Wednesday after the president’s short-lived attempt to impose martial law that was blocked by lawmakers.

The DP said it submitted the motion to the bills office at the National Assembly at 5:45 p.m.

The main opposition is expected to report the motion to a parliamentary plenary session Thursday along with the impeachment motion for President Yoon Suk Yeol it had introduced earlier in the day and to put it up for a vote on Friday or Saturday.

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

The DP has said it also plans to report Yoon, Kim and interior minister Lee Sang-min to the prosecution on charges of treason and push for their impeachment following the martial law fiasco.

Shortly after the DP’s proposal of the impeachment motion, the defense ministry said Kim has offered his resignation to take “full responsibility” for the situation and apologized to the people.

These moves came after Yoon declared emergency martial law in an unexpected late-night statement Tuesday but subsequently lifted it hours later as the opposition-controlled Assembly voted to reject it.

Kim had reportedly proposed declaring the martial law to the president.

Meanwhile, the parliamentary defense committee plans to hold an emergency session Thursday to question defense officials involved in the incident, including the defense minister and martial law commander Park An-su.

The parliamentary interior committee also plans to hold a similar meeting on the same day.