South Korean president vows to fight removal
Yoon Suk Yeol defended his martial law decree and said he will not step down, despite impeachment efforts


What happened
South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol said in televised remarks Wednesday he would not step down, despite urging from his party, and defended his six-hour imposition of martial law on Dec. 3. The brief attempt at military rule led to the arrest of Yoon's former defense minister and embroiled the president in criminal investigations and possible impeachment. Yoon has been barred from leaving the country.
Who said what
"I will fight to the end" to protect Korea from the "anti-state forces" and "criminal groups" responsible for "paralyzing" the government, Yoon said. He had apologized for his martial law decree on Saturday. But Wednesday Yoon said he had intended only to "borrow the format of martial law" to send a "warning" to the opposition Democratic Party to stop obstructing his agenda.
The opposition-controlled National Assembly tried to impeach Yoon on Saturday, but his People Power Party party boycotted the vote. PPP chair Han Dong-hoon Wednesday urged his party to support the next impeachment vote, scheduled for this Saturday. But the PPP's newly elected floor leader, Yoon ally Kwon Seong-dong, reiterated the party's stance against impeachment.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
What next?
Seven PPP lawmakers have said they will vote to impeach Yoon, leaving the opposition just one vote short of the 200 needed.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.
-
Depleted FEMA struggling as hurricane season begins
speed read FEMA has lost a third of its workforce amid DOGE cuts enforced by President Donald Trump
-
White House tackles fake citations in MAHA report
speed read A federal government public health report spearheaded by Robert F. Kennedy Jr. was rife with false citations
-
Judge blocks push to bar Harvard foreign students
speed read Judge Allison Burroughs sided with Harvard against the Trump administration's attempt to block the admittance of international students
-
Trump's trade war whipsawed by court rulings
Speed Read A series of court rulings over Trump's tariffs renders the future of US trade policy uncertain
-
Elon Musk departs Trump administration
speed read The former DOGE head says he is ending his government work to spend more time on his companies
-
Trump taps ex-personal lawyer for appeals court
speed read The president has nominated Emil Bove, his former criminal defense lawyer, to be a federal judge
-
US trade court nullifies Trump's biggest tariffs
speed read The US Court of International Trade says Trump exceeded his authority in imposing global tariffs
-
Trump pauses all new foreign student visas
speed read The State Department has stopped scheduling interviews with those seeking student visas in preparation for scrutiny of applicants' social media