South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol has accepted the resignation of Defence Minister Kim Yong-hyun and nominated the ambassador to Saudi Arabia, Choi Byung-hyuk, as new defence minister, the presidential office said on Thursday.
Kim, who offered his resignation on Wednesday, was seen as a central figure in Yoon’s declaration of martial law on Tuesday. A senior military official and filings to impeach Yoon by opposition members said Kim made the recommendation to Yoon.
Yoon’s chief of staff, Chung Jin-suk, called Choi “a person of principle who carries out his duties with dedication and adheres to regulations.”
The nomination is the first official move by Yoon after he announced the withdrawal of the martial law declaration in the early hours of Wednesday, amid a storm of political turmoil and diplomatic fallout.
Parliament introduced a motion early on Thursday to impeach him over the botched attempt to impose martial law, but his party vowed to oppose the move, throwing the process into doubt.
The main opposition Democratic Party has called Yoon’s martial law attempt a treasonous act, and its lawmakers could lead a vote for the bill as early as Friday.
READ ALSO: South Korea’s President Yoon reverses martial law after lawmakers defy him
U.S. officials said they were caught completely off guard by Yoon’s martial law declaration, which Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell said was “badly misjudged.”
South Korean police also announced on Thursday they were investigating the President for “insurrection” – a crime that transcends presidential immunity and can carry the death penalty – after the opposition filed a complaint against him and other key figures involved.
Woo Jong-soo, head of the National Investigation Headquarters of the National Police Agency, told lawmakers that “the case has been assigned,” footage showed.
The crisis in South Korea has unfolded as a mutual defence treaty between North Korea and Russia comes into force.
The Comprehensive Strategic Partnership Treaty, which was signed in June between Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, came into force on Wednesday, North Korean state media said on Thursday.
The agreement includes a mutual defence pact for immediate military assistance if either Russia or North Korea faces armed aggression.
Chung Jin-suk, Yoon’s chief of staff, said Choi was a fitting choice for the role of new defence minister as he was a retired four-star army general who had served as deputy commander of the South Korea-United States Combined Forces Command from 2019 to 2020.
Reuters.com
