Han Dong-hoon, the leader of the People Power Party, stated that a prompt suspension of President Yoon Suk-yeol’s duties is necessary to protect South Korea and its citizens. This marks a dramatic shift from his previous stance against the impeachment efforts led by the opposition. The likelihood of Han’s faction within the party participating in the presidential impeachment vote has increased, particularly if more than eight lawmakers from the People Power Party break ranks, which would surpass the required majority for the impeachment proposal to pass. Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, has also stressed the need to suspend the president’s duties as soon as possible, suggesting the possibility of moving up the vote in the National Assembly, which was initially scheduled for the afternoon of the 7th.
On the morning of the 6th, Han held an unscheduled emergency leadership meeting at the National Assembly, revealing that on the day martial law was declared, President Yoon had instructed the Counter-Intelligence Commander, a high school alumnus of his, to arrest key politicians branded as anti-state forces. Han claimed to have verified these instructions through trustworthy sources, including the mobilization of intelligence agencies for the arrests. He added that specific plans to detain these politicians at a location in Gwacheon were uncovered as well.
Reports indicate that President Yoon, following the declaration of martial law on the 3rd, ordered a senior National Intelligence Service official to cooperate with the Counter-Intelligence Command in arresting Han, but the official was dismissed after failing to comply with the order. This issue is set to be discussed when the official appears before the National Assembly Intelligence Committee in the afternoon.
The day before, Han had declared his intention to prevent the impeachment motion from passing in order to avoid harm to the public due to unprepared chaos, distancing himself from the opposition’s impeachment initiative. Gyeong-tae Cho, another member of Han’s faction, publicly expressed support for impeachment, stating his hope that all People Power Party politicians would prioritize the people’s interests.
In response to the situation, the party’s floor leader, Cho Kyung-ho, held a meeting with senior lawmakers and convened an emergency caucus to gather opinions on how to respond to the impeachment motion. Meanwhile, supporters of President Yoon within the party strongly opposed Han’s shift in stance, with lawmaker Kim Ki-hyun cautioning that leading the impeachment effort would hasten the downfall of conservatism.
With the Presidential Office remaining silent as of the morning of the 6th, there is speculation that the impeachment vote might be moved earlier than originally planned. In a special statement, Lee Jae-myung stressed the need for a swift exclusion of President Yoon from his duties, advocating for quick legal action including investigation, arrest, detention, indictment, and prosecution. Lee also proposed bilateral talks with Han.
Additionally, the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office announced the formation of a special investigation team led by the Seoul High Prosecutor’s Office to probe the martial law incident. Noh Tae-ak, Chair of the National Election Commission, stated that the commission’s occupation by military forces was clearly unconstitutional and illegal, promising legal action in response.