South Korean president appoints new defense minister - Reuters

South Korean president appoints new defense minister - Reuters

Kyiv  •  UNN

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Yun Seok-yol appointed Choi Bong-hyuk as the new defense minister after Kim Yong-hyun resigned. The change of leadership followed a failed attempt to impose martial law and a political crisis in the country.

South Korean President Yun-seok Yol has appointed a new defense minister. This happened after a failed attempt to impose martial law in the country. This was reported by Reuters, according to UNN.

Details

South Korea's president accepted the resignation of Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun and appointed Choi Ben-haek, who was South Korea's ambassador to Saudi Arabia, to the post instead.

Kim, who resigned on Wednesday, was reportedly seen as the central figure in Yun's declaration of martial law on Tuesday. He was the one who made the recommendation to the president, as evidenced by impeachment documents from the opposition, as well as a senior military official.

As a result, the nomination of a new candidate was Yun's first official move after he announced on Wednesday morning that martial law had already been lifted. All of this took place against a backdrop of political turmoil and diplomatic repercussions.

Recall

On Tuesday evening, Yun declared “emergency” martial law, accusing the country's opposition of “paralyzing” the government with “anti-state” actions. After that, clashes broke out in Seoul between citizens and the military, who blocked the parliament building.  Later it became known that the South Korean Cabinet of Ministers voted to lift martial law imposed by President Yun Seok-yol. 

South Korean President Yun Seok-yol announced the suspension of the martial law (ML) declared on December 3. 

South Korea's opposition parties also initiated the impeachment of President Yun Seok-yol due to the introduction of martial law. The impeachment vote is scheduled for December 6-7, with two-thirds of the National Assembly's votes required for approval.