SKorea's impeached PM says cabinet expressed concerns over martial law plan

6/2/2025 16:06

South Korea's impeached prime minister told parliament on Thursday that "everyone" in a hastily-arranged meeting of ministers expressed concerns about President Yoon Suk Yeol's martial law plan before he announced it on Dec. 3.



Han Duck-soo, who was briefly acting president after Yoon was impeached and suspended from power on Dec. 14 before being impeached himself, joined acting President Choi Sang-mok, the finance minister, in facing parliamentary questioning over their role in the shock martial law decision.



The martial law lasted only around six hours before Yoon rescinded the order in the face of opposition from parliament, but it send shockwaves through Asia's fourth-largest economy and sparked a spiralling political crisis.



Choi told the committee that the biggest challenges in the country right now include the livelihood of the people and changes in the international order.



"There's the need to stabilise government administration," he said.



Yoon appeared on Thursday at a hearing in his impeachment trial at the Constitutional Court, which will decide whether to reinstate him or remove him permanently from office.