South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol apologizes to the people for declaring martial law

On the morning of December 7, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol made a live television speech apologizing to the people of the country for causing concern and inconvenience when declaring martial law on the night of December 3.

In his first official public statement after the move, Mr. Yoon affirmed that there will never be a second martial law, pledging not to shirk legal and political responsibilities related to the decision to impose martial law.

The president, along with the ruling People Power Party (PPP), is trying to stabilize the political situation, adding that the decision was made in a "desperate" situation for the president.

President Yoon Suk Yeol's apology came as the opposition led by the Democratic Party (DP) will vote in the National Assembly on the presidential impeachment bill on the afternoon of December 7.

If 200/300 votes are approved, President Yoon Suk Yeol will be immediately suspended from office.

After declaring martial law and lifting it six hours later, President Yoon Suk Yeol is facing a growing wave of opposition as information released becomes increasingly unfavorable to him.

The National Assembly's Committee on Public Administration and Safety and the Committee on Health and Welfare have convened hearings over the past two days to clarify President Yoon Suk Yeol's martial law declaration process.

It is reported that President Yoon convened an urgent Cabinet meeting at the Presidential Office at 10 p.m. on December 3, right before declaring martial law.

Eleven Cabinet members attended and expressed concern when informed that the meeting was about declaring martial law.

Prime Minister Han Duck Soo, Deputy Prime Minister in charge of the economy Choi Sang Mok and Foreign Minister Cho Tae Yul opposed declaring martial law because of concerns about the huge impact on the economy and diplomacy.

National Intelligence Service Director Cho Tae Yong was also present at the meeting and is said to have opposed declaring martial law.

However, President Yoon Suk Yeol stressed that declaring martial law is a legitimate right under the Constitution to deal with the opposition's actions.

In particular, Mr. Yoon Suk Yeol expressed strong dissatisfaction with the opposition's push to impeach the Director of the State Audit and Inspection Agency.

According to the Constitution and laws of South Korea, the Cabinet only has the right to review the draft declaration of martial law, not to vote. The Cabinet meeting ended after about 20 minutes, and President Yoon Suk Yeol officially declared martial law shortly thereafter.

On December 6, the National Archives Department under the Ministry of Security and Administration sent a dispatch requesting the Presidential Office, the Ministry of National Defense, and the National Police to keep records related to the declaration of martial law.

The document requires relevant individuals and units to strictly preserve relevant records including minutes of Cabinet meetings and images recorded by the CCTV system before President Yoon Seok Yeol declared martial law on the night of December 3.

In particular, the Ministry of Public Security's document also warned that according to the Public Records Management Act, if records are destroyed or lost, individuals involved may be imprisoned for more than 7 years or fined up to 30 million won (US$21,000).