South Korea's President Yoon Suk Yeol refuses to resign, says he will 'fight to the end'

South Korea's President Yoon Suk Yeol said on Dec. 12 that he has no intention of resigning from office, following his controversial declaration of martial law on Dec. 3, Nikkei Asia reported.

In his televised address, the first since his apology on Dec. 7, Yoon stated that he would not shy away from his "legal and political responsibilities."

He made this statement after the head of his own party, People Power Party (PPP) leader Han Dong-hoon, urged lawmakers to vote in favor of impeachment following a failed first attempt on Dec. 7.

In response to the push for impeachment and ongoing investigations into the reasons behind his martial law declaration, Yoon said, "I will confront it confidently, whether it's impeachment or investigation."

"I will fight to the end," he added.

Yoon blames opposition for martial law declaration

President Yoon and his allies are currently facing insurrection charges, and a travel ban has been imposed on several of them.

However, Yoon denied claims that his martial law order was an act of insurrection.

Instead, he accused the opposition party of creating false incitement by "[performing] a knife dance" and "calling martial law an insurrection".

In a televised address, Yoon defended his decision to declare martial law, stating that it was a legal measure to "prevent the collapse" of democracy and counter the opposition's "parliamentary dictatorship," BBC reported.

He also once again accused the opposition of “siding with North Korea” and undermining the government,  CNN reported.

Yoon described the opposition as dangerous, asserting that by maintaining control, he had been trying to protect the public and defend democracy.

However Yoon did not provide evidence for his claims.

His declaration of martial law was overturned by a unanimous vote of 190 lawmakers (out of 300) who gathered at the National Assembly on the same night, despite some difficulties in getting into the building which was surrounded by military and police personnel.

Vows to impeach Yoon continue

On Dec. 7, an attempt by opposition lawmakers to impeach President Yoon failed after members of his own ruling party boycotted the vote.

The opposition Democratic Party (DP) announced that they would attempt to impeach President Yoon again on Dec. 14.

According to BBC, the opposition has vowed to hold impeachment votes every Saturday until Yoon is removed from office.

This time, some members of the president's party have expressed support for the motion. Only eight members of the PPP would need to vote for impeachment for it to pass, with the full backing of the opposition.

PPP leader Han stated that he hopes all party lawmakers participate in the second impeachment vote on Dec. 14 and vote to impeach Yoon as "the party's position."

He added that PPP lawmakers were free to vote according to their “belief and conscience.”

Han told the media that he had been looking into alternative ways to persuade the president to step down early, aside from impeachment, but had yet to find a solution.

In response to a reporter's query, Han confirmed that he was in favour of impeachment, stating, "There is no other method."

Han was once a close associate of the president and a former prosecutor, like Yoon.

In recent months, their relationship has soured as Han supported investigations into allegations of influence peddling involving Yoon's wife, Kim Keon Hee.

Yoon struggles with leadership and governance

While South Korean politics are typically split between conservative and progressive factions, recent polling indicates that a significant majority of the public supports Yoon's impeachment.

Political deadlock in parliament in recent months has rendered Yoon a lame-duck president, hindering his government's ability to advance key legislation, including tax cuts and business deregulation.

As a result, his administration has been forced to focus on vetoing bills proposed by the opposition.

Top image taken from Yoon Suk Yeol/Youtube