South Korean Parliament Speaker Calls for Immediate Suspension of Presidential Powers
South Korean flag
SEOUL (Sputnik) – The transfer of presidential powers to the ruling party and the prime minister is unconstitutional and it is necessary to hold negotiations with the opposition for an immediate suspension of the president’s duties, South Korean National Assembly Speaker Woo Won-shik said on Sunday. “The statements made by the prime minister and the ruling party, indicating that they will jointly perform the duties of the president, which they have never been authorized to do, constitute a clear violation of the constitution … I propose that the ruling party and the opposition hold negotiations to immediately suspend the president from performing his duties and resolve the current unstable situation in the state,” the parliament speaker was quoted as saying by the Yonhap news agency.President Yoon Suk-yeol declared martial law late on Tuesday, claiming that the opposition was sympathizing with North Korea and plotting a “rebellion.” The parliament defied the presidential declaration and voted to lift martial law. The office of the speaker of the parliament, Woo Won-shik, said that the president’s declaration of martial law was invalid following the lawmakers’ vote. Shortly after, Yoon said he was lifting martial law.On Saturday, Yoon Suk-yeol issued an address in which he apologized for imposing martial law in the country and said he would not re-introduce it amid the upcoming vote on his impeachment. He also said he would not avoid political and legal responsibility in connection with the declaration of martial law.
AnalysisSouth Korea’s Martial Law Turmoil: North Korea Will Watch ‘This Drama Play Out’4 December, 09:50 GMTHe vowed to leave all decisions, including his term, to his People Power Party to decide in order to stabilize the nation, earlier reports said.
