South Korea president expected to face impeachment vote Saturday for martial law push
South Korean opposition lawmakers said on Thursday they would vote this weekend to impeach President Yoon Suk Yeol for his botched attempt to impose martial law, and police said they were investigating claims of treason against him and top ministers.
Yoon’s declaration of martial law late on Tuesday sought to consolidate power, ban political activity and censor the media, a move that sparked outrage in the streets and concern among South Korea’s international allies.
Fighting for his political future, Yoon accepted the resignation of Defence Minister Kim Yong-hyun on Thursday and nominated his ambassador to Saudi Arabia, Choi Byung-hyuk, as a replacement.
Lawmakers of the opposition Democratic Party planned to seek a vote in parliament to impeach Yoon at about 7 p.m. ET on Saturday, a party spokesperson told reporters.
“The Yoon Suk Yeol regime’s declaration of emergency martial law caused great confusion and fear among our people,” Democratic Party lawmaker Kim Seung-won told the National Assembly earlier.
Yoon’s ruling People Power Party is divided over the crisis but said it would oppose impeachment, with the party in turmoil and two years left in Yoon’s five-year term.
The Democratic Party needs at least eight of the 108 ruling-party lawmakers to back the bill for it to pass with a two-thirds majority in the 300-seat parliament.
If the impeachment bill passes, South Korea’s Constitutional Court would then decide whether to uphold the motion — a process that could take up to 180 days.
If Yoon were to be suspended from exercising power, Prime Minister Han Duck-soo would fill in as leader.
If Yoon resigned or was removed from office, a new election would be held within 60 days.
In the past 24 hours, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol declared martial law, only for his decision to be unanimously rejected by a parliamentary vote. Andrew Chang explains the turmoil that led to the president’s declaration, and what it says about the state of South Korean politics.
Images supplied by Reuters and Getty Images.
No live bullets given, official says
Defence minister Kim had recommended Yoon declare martial law on Tuesday, according to the interior minister, a senior military official and the opposition’s filing to impeach Yoon.
Kim also ordered the deployment of troops to the parliament, Vice-Defence Minister Kim Seon-ho said.
South Korea’s army chief has also offered to resign, the Yonhap news agency said.
The chief of investigations for the national police confirmed to a parliamentary hearing that the force was investigating accusations of treason and other related crimes over the declaration of martial law. The complaint was filed by an opposition party and activists.
The probe includes Yoon, his interior minister, and the ousted defence minister.
The former defence minister faces a travel ban while the investigations progress, broadcaster YTN said.
The impeachment plan follows a night of chaos after Yoon declared martial law and armed troops attempted to force their way into the National Assembly building in Seoul, only to stand back when parliamentary aides sprayed them with fire extinguishers.
The commander of the martial law troops said he had no intention of wielding firearms against the public, and Kim, the vice-defence minister, said no live ammunition had been provided to those troops.
“The people and the aides who protected parliament protected us with their bodies. The people won, and it’s now time for us to protect the people,” the Democratic Party’s Kim said.
Many protesters said they feared a return to the dictatorships and martial law that marked much of South Korea’s post-war period.
“For the sake of my children, this must be stopped no matter what,” one protester, Kim Hye-Min, said on Thursday at a demonstration outside parliament. “We cannot go back to the 1970s.”
The crisis rattled global financial markets and South Korea’s benchmark KOSPI index.
U.S., Japan taken by surprise
Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba said Japan’s “security situation may be fundamentally changed” in light of the instability in Seoul and North Korea’s rising military assertiveness.
“What will happen to South Korea? There appears to be a great deal of domestic criticism and opposition,” he told parliament, adding that Yoon’s efforts to improve relations with Tokyo “must never be undermined.”
There has been no reaction yet from North Korea to the drama in the South.
On Wednesday, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken told Reuters the U.S. had not been made aware in advance of Yoon’s declaration. The U.S. has 28,500 troops stationed in South Korea as a legacy of the 1950-1953 Korean War.
The commander of U.S. Forces-Korea, General Paul LaCamera, warned American troops to stay vigilant, avoid areas with protests and tell superiors of travel plans in case “something unexpected” happens.
Yoon, a career prosecutor, squeezed out a victory in the tightest presidential election in South Korean history in 2022, riding a wave of discontent over economic policy, scandals and gender wars.
But his support ratings have been at around 20 per cent for months and the opposition captured nearly two-thirds of parliament seats in an April election.
Yoon has caused unease among South Koreans by branding his critics “communist totalitarian and anti-state forces.” In November, he denied wrongdoing in response to accusations of influence-peddling against him and his wife, and he has taken a hard line against labour unions.
Published at Tue, 03 Dec 2024 17:26:53 +0000
UnitedHealthcare CEO shot dead in New York by attacker who waited for him, police say
Police are still searching for the gunman who killed the head of a major American health insurance company in New York on Wednesday in what the city’s top officer described as a “brazen targeted attack.”
Brian Thompson, head of UnitedHealthcare, was shot dead as he walked into the Hilton hotel in midtown Manhattan just before 6:45 a.m. ET. Police said the attacker had been waiting for Thompson, who was heading to the hotel for the company’s annual investors conference.
“This does not appear to be a random act of violence,” New York City Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said at a news conference on Wednesday.
“At this time, every indication is this was a premeditated, preplanned, targeted attack.”
The police department’s chief of detectives, Joseph Kenny, said the shooter got to the hotel about five minutes before Thompson, who had been staying in another hotel across the street. Standing along the building’s edge, the gunman let several people pass by unharmed before opening fire on the businessman.
A video obtained by CNN shows an assailant pointing a gun at UnitedHealthCare CEO Brian Thompson on a sidewalk in New York City on Wednesday. Thompson died after what police said seemed to be a ‘targeted’ shooting.
Security footage obtained by CBC News showed the gun malfunctioned, but the shooter cleared the jam. The gunman also ignored a witness in the video, who escaped from just a metre or two away.
“Based on the evidence we have so far, it does appear that the victim was specifically targeted, but at this point, we do not know why,” Kenny said.
The assailant escaped on foot before switching to an electric bike, and was last seen on video riding into Central Park at 6:48 a.m., the officer said.
Police initially said the shooter rode into the park on a bicycle from CitiBike, the bike-share program. But a spokesperson for the program’s operator, Lyft, said police officials informed the company Wednesday afternoon that the bike was not from the CitiBike fleet.
Thompson, 50, was pronounced dead at Roosevelt Hospital at 7:12 a.m.
Kenny said the executive did not appear to have a security detail and did not seem to realize he was in danger. The footage of the shooting does not have sound, he said, so officers didn’t yet know whether the shooter said anything to him.
Victim called a ‘highly respected colleague’
UnitedHealth is the largest U.S. health insurer, providing benefits to tens of millions of Americans, who pay more for health care than those in any other country.
The company has been grappling with the fallout from a massive data hack of its Change Healthcare unit that provides technology for U.S. health providers, disrupting medical care for patients and reimbursement to doctors for months.
New York City police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said Brian Thompson, 50, was shot dead in what appears to be ‘a premeditated, preplanned, targeted attack’ in Manhattan.
UnitedHealth Group chief executive Andrew Witty took the stage about one hour after the conference started Wednesday and announced the rest of the program would be cancelled.
“We’re dealing with a very serious medical situation with one of our team members, and as a result, I’m afraid we’re going to have to bring to a close the event today,” he said.
Thompson, who lived in Minnesota, had been in the city since Monday. He had served as CEO for more than three years and started with the company in 2004.
“Brian was a highly respected colleague and friend to all who worked with him. We are working closely with the New York Police Department and ask for your patience and understanding during this difficult time,” read a social media post from UnitedHealth Group.
“Our hearts go out to Brian’s family and all who were close to him.”
Police said they are still working to determine a motive.
Thompson’s wife, Paulette Thompson, told NBC News that her husband told her “there were some people that had been threatening him.” She didn’t have details but suggested the threats may have involved issues with insurance coverage.
Eric Werner, the police chief in the Minneapolis suburb where Thompson lived, said his department had not received any reports of threats against the executive.
The Hilton is in a bustling part of Manhattan, a short walk from tourist sites such as the Museum of Modern Art and Rockefeller Center. It’s often dense with tourists and office workers on weekday mornings.
Police said the shooting would not affect the annual Christmas tree lighting at Rockefeller Center — a few blocks from the Hilton — which went ahead as scheduled Wednesday evening amid a stepped-up police presence.
Part of the block where the shooting took place was cordoned off with police tape, with a large contingent of police officers at the scene.
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz said the state is “sending our prayers to Brian’s family and the UnitedHealthcare team.”
“This is horrifying news and a terrible loss for the business and health-care community in Minnesota,” Walz wrote on X, formerly Twitter.
UnitedHealthcare is the largest provider of Medicare Advantage plans in the U.S. and manages health insurance coverage for employers, as well as Medicaid programs funded by the state and federal governments.
Published at Wed, 04 Dec 2024 17:11:09 +0000
