This handout photo taken on December 12, 2024 and released by the South Korean Presidential Office via Yonhap shows South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol delivering an address at the Presidential Office in Seoul. South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol on December 12, vowed to fight "until the very last minute", defending his shock decision last week to declare martial law and deploy troops to the country's parliament. (Photo: VCG)

South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol delivered a televised address on Thursday morning, in which he said opposition paralyzes state affairs with abuse of impeachments and his martial law declaration was act of governing, which was not subject to legal judgment, according to South Korea’s Yonhap News Agency.

In his speech, Yoon rejected insurrection charges and vowed to fight until the last moment against whether it is impeachment or a martial law probe. He also defied calls to resign and said he used his presidential power to declare martial law "to protect the nation and normalize state affairs" against the opposition that paralyzed the government, calling it a "highly calibrated political judgment," Yonhap reported. 

The ruling party chief Han Dong-hoon said on Thursday that impeachment is now the only way to suspend Yoon's duties and urged his party's lawmakers to join vote on Yoon's impeachment motion based on their own convictions.

Han made the remarks as the opposition Democratic Party (DP) is set to file a new motion to impeach Yoon, after a parliamentary impeachment vote failed Saturday as the majority of People Power Party (PPP) lawmakers boycotted it.

Han called an emergency meeting on Thursday to discuss expelling Yoon from the party, CCTV News reported.

Army Chief of Staff General Park An-su, who was previously named to lead the martial law command during President Yoon's short-lived imposition of the order last week, has been suspended from his duty Thursday, the country’s defense ministry said.

Global Times