South Korea’s political crisis could make it vulnerable to North Korea
Concerns are growing that North Korea may exploit its vulnerable neighbouring foe after it was plunged into chaos by its president’s “betrayal”.
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South Korea is in the grips of a constitutional crisis following the impeachment of President Yoon Suk Yeol, with fears neighbouring North Korea could exploit the vulnerable nation’s position for its own military gain.
President Yoon’s impeachment on Saturday followed a week of political drama in Seoul after his failed declaration of martial law against “anti-state forces” earlier in the month.
Fury was sparked after it was revealed there was no emergency situation playing out in the country to justify such an action and, instead, it was Mr Yoon hitting out at the opposition party, which holds a majority in the legislature.
The president had sent soldiers into parliament, a move that backfired when politicians fought past troops to gain access to the building where they voted down the decree.
Extraordinarily, following the martial law declaration Mr Yoon’s entire cabinet resigned and his defence minister, Kim Yong-hyun, was arrested for treason.
President Yoon now faces a criminal treason inquiry of his own. He is also suspended from exercising his powers until the decision is adjudicated by South Korea’s Constitutional Court, CNN reported.
Will North Korea act?
While Yoon’s martial law decree was swiftly rescinded, the country’s reputation has taken a blow amid concerns of stability, with its currency taking a dive amid the uncertainty, the New York Post reported.
All eyes are now on North Korea. Will it try to take advantage of the crisis unfolding within its neighbouring enemy to undertake greater shows of its military might?
The chaos in South Korea comes after North Korea ratified a landmark defence pact with Russia, state media reported last month, deepening security co-operation that has seen Pyongyang send thousands of troops to help Moscow fight Ukraine.
The agreement formalises months of tightening military bonds between two nations that were Communist allies throughout the Cold War.
Seoul and ally the United States have accused the nuclear-armed North of sending thousands of soldiers to Russia, where they have been outfitted with Russian uniforms.
In exchange for sending troops, the West fears Russia is offering North Korea technological support that could advance Pyongyang’s nuclear weapons programme.
There are also reports that Russia sent air defence missiles and other military technology to North Korea. The shipments were the latest expression of a deepening alliance that could escalate geopolitical tensions in Asia and potentially globally.
North Korea recently fired a salvo of ballistic missiles and tested a new solid-fuel ICBM.
It also severed its last remaining connections to South Korea in October.
North Korea’s army announced it would take “substantial military steps” to cut off roads and railways connecting the two countries, fortifying its already heavily militarised border.
It was later revealed that “cutting off roads” meant obliterating them with high-charged explosives.
“North Korea has detonated parts of the Gyeongui and Donghae roads north of the Military Demarcation Line,” the Joint Chiefs of Staff said.
“There has been no damage to our military, and our forces conducted counter-fire in areas south of the MDL,” it added.
Yoon will ‘stop temporarily’
Mr Yoon has conceded that he will “stop temporarily for now, but the journey to the future that I’ve walked with the people for the past two years should not stop”.
“I will not give up,” he said in a statement shared by the country’s presidential office.
“With all the encouragement and support for me in mind, I will do my best until the last moment for the nation.”
It’s the second time in less than a decade that a South Korean leader has faced impeachment proceedings in office, with President Park Geun-hye sent packing in 2016 following corruption allegations.
Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, the country’s No. 2, took over presidential powers later Saturday, saying he will “devote all my strength and effort to stable operation of state affairs”.
Joy on the streets of Seoul
South Korean’s opposition declaring a “victory of the people”, with hundreds of thousands of people taking to the streets of the capital Seoul in rival rallies for and against Mr Yoon on Saturday.
In a televised address following the parliamentary vote, the impeached Mr Yoon did not apologise for his botched bid to impose martial law.
Out of 300 politicians, 204 voted to impeach the president on allegations of insurrection while 85 voted against. Three abstained, with eight votes nullified.
The court has 180 days to rule on the president’s future, while Chief Justice Moon Hyung-bae vowed to hold “a swift and fair trial”.
Two hundred votes were needed for the impeachment to pass, and opposition politicians needed to convince at least eight parliamentarians from Mr Yoon’s conservative People Power Party (PPP) to switch sides.
“Today’s impeachment is the great victory of the people,” opposition Democratic Party floor leader Park Chan-dae said following the vote.
PPP politician Kim Sang-wook told broadcaster JTBC that Yoon had “completely betrayed the values of conservatism”.
“That is why we, as ruling party politicians, have decided to remove him ourselves,” he said.
‘We, the people’
A Seoul police official told AFP at least 200,000 people had massed outside parliament in support of removing the president.
Choi Jung-ha, 52, danced in the street after the vote.
“Isn’t it amazing that we, the people, have pulled this off together?” she told AFP.
“I am 100 per cent certain the Constitutional Court will side with the impeachment.”
On the other side of Seoul near Gwanghwamun square, police estimated 30,000 had rallied in support of Yoon, blasting patriotic songs and waving South Korean and American flags.
“Yoon had no choice but to declare martial law. I approve of every decision he has made as president,” supporter Choi Hee-sun, 62, told AFP before the vote.
The Democratic Party said ahead of the vote that impeachment was the “only way” to “safeguard the Constitution, the rule of law, democracy and South Korea’s future”.
“We can no longer endure Yoon’s madness,” spokeswoman Hwang Jung-a said.
At the rally outside parliament supporting impeachment, volunteers gave out free hand warmers on Saturday morning to fight the subzero temperatures, as well as coffee and food.
K-pop singer Yuri of the band Girls’ Generation – whose song Into the New World has become a protest anthem – said she had prepaid for food for fans attending the demonstration.
“Stay safe and take care of your health!” she said on a superfan chat platform. One protester said she had rented a bus so parents at the rally would have a place to change diapers and feed their babies.
– With AFP
Originally published as South Korea’s political crisis could make it vulnerable to North Korea
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