Series of Korean ministers want to resign collectively

South Korean Prime Minister Han Duck-soo convened an emergency government meeting on December 4, nearly a day after President Yoon Suk-yeol declared martial law and lifted it hours later.

During the meeting, almost all cabinet members, including Finance Minister Choi Sang-mok and Education Minister Lee Ju-ho, offered to resign en masse. They said it was a necessary step to take responsibility for President Yoon's actions and the current crisis. Prime Minister Han Duck-soo urged the ministers to continue working.

After the cabinet meeting, Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun, accused by South Korean media of proposing martial law to Mr. Yoon, announced that his resignation had been accepted.

Justice Minister Park Sung-jae also told reporters that he "has no intention of continuing to hold the position."

Han Dong-hoon, leader of President Yoon Suk-yeol's People Power Party (PPP), announced on the same day that he had requested Yoon's expulsion from the party. He made the request during an emergency meeting of the ruling party, Prime Minister Han Duck-soo and Yoon's senior aides.

The PPP's parliamentary delegation also held an emergency session to discuss further action amid the crisis.

Lawmakers discussed the possibility of expelling Yoon from the party, a proposal for a collective resignation from the government cabinet, and the resignation of Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun.

Of these three contents, the PPP parliamentary delegation reached consensus on the second and third contents, but could not agree on expelling Mr. Yoon from the ruling party.

South Korea is in a serious political crisis after President Yoon Suk-yeol suddenly declared martial law on the night of December 3, the first time in more than 40 years in the country.

More than 300 soldiers were deployed to the National Assembly building to enforce the "ban on all political activities". The South Korean military also set up a Martial Law Command inside the Ministry of National Defense headquarters and appointed Army General Park An-su as its commander.

The Korea Times quoted diplomatic sources as saying that Prime Minister Han Duck-soo was "completely not informed" of Mr. Yoon's decision to declare martial law, as Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun reported directly to the President without going through the Prime Minister and the Cabinet.

Prime Minister Han's cabinet was also not convened to discuss martial law, taking him and his ministers by surprise. South Korean opposition parties have accused the military and police of setting up direct communication channels immediately after martial law was declared.

They believed that the Seoul Metropolitan Police Department had received direct orders from the military, bypassing the National Police Agency, to deploy forces to blockade the National Assembly. However, about 190 lawmakers still managed to attend the emergency session and vote to nullify Mr. Yoon's decision. By the morning of December 4, the South Korean President agreed to lift martial law.