The Chief of Staff of the South Korean Army, General Park Ahn Soo, who acted as Commander-in-Chief during the short-term imposition of martial law, has been suspended from his duties.
This was reported by the Ministry of Defense of the country, reports Yonhap.
Park is the latest of several military commanders to be suspended amid a widening investigation into their involvement in the Dec. 3 martial law.
Shortly after martial law was declared, a military decree was issued on behalf of Park that prohibited all political activity.
During the parliamentary session, Park claimed to have learned of martial law from a televised address by President Yoon Seok Yeol.
Park resigned on the day martial law was lifted, but remained in office after the president rejected his offer.
Earlier, the countryʼs Ministry of Defense suspended six other high-ranking military personnel, including the commanders of the Metropolitan Defense Command, the Armyʼs Special Operations Command, the Counterintelligence Command, and the Military Intelligence Command.
What preceded
Yoon Seok Yeol declared martial law in the country on the night of December 3-4 to "protect the constitutional order" — the first time since the 1980s. The reason was that the opposition Democratic Party of South Korea, which has a majority in parliament, rejected the governmentʼs budget proposal and decided to impeach the state auditor and the chief prosecutor.
An hour later, South Koreaʼs parliament passed a resolution calling for martial law to be lifted. The South Korean government supported the "plan to lift martial law" as demanded by the parliament. Martial law lasted for about six hours.
When the parliamentarians adopted the resolution, people sang the national anthem and applauded in the streets. According to preliminary estimates, four thousand citizens gathered near the parliament building.
On December 8, Yoon Seok Yeol was informed of suspicion of treason and abuse of power.
- President Yoon Seok Yeol has low approval ratings in the country, particularly due to rising food and housing prices, labor conflicts and a sharp drop in the birth rate. The presidentʼs reputation has also been under fire over a hidden camera video of First Lady Kim Keon Hee allegedly accepting a $2 200 Dior bag as a gift.
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