South Korea’s Yoon defends martial law decree as act of governance

South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol on Thursday defended his martial law decree as an act of governance and denied rebellion charges.

Yoon also vowed to “fight to the end” and refused to step down, accusing opposition parties of seeking to cause “instability”.

“I will fight to the end, to prevent the forces and criminal groups that have been responsible for paralysing the country’s government and disrupting the nation’s constitutional order from threatening the future of the Republic of Korea,” he said in a televised statement.

The address came hours before the main liberal opposition Democratic Party submits a new impeachment motion against him after he survived an impeachment bid in parliament last Saturday.

Yoon’s December 3 martial law decree has generated political chaos and protests calling for his ouster.

On Wednesday, police said that they raided Yoon’s office, as the investigation into his declaration of martial law gathers pace.

“The Special Investigation Team has conducted a raid on the presidential office, the National Police Agency, the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency, and the National Assembly Security Service,” the unit stated in a message.