Yoon, who had holed up in his official residence in Hannam-dong after making a brief apology last Saturday, appeared to deliver the address to justify last Tuesday's debacle and reiterate his prior claims.
In the address, which lasted about 30 minutes, Yoon said he exercised his presidential power "to protect the nation and normalize state affairs," blaming opposition parties including "anti-government forces," for paralyzing the government.
He accused the main opposition Democratic Party (DP) of "continuously obstructing his appointments and repeatedly calling for resignations and impeachments over the past two and a half years."
He criticized the DP for exploiting its majority in the National Assembly to paralyze state affairs, using budget bills and impeachment motions as political tools to protect its leader Lee Jae-myung, who is facing multiple legal trials including charges of corruption and embezzlement.
He also declared, "Be it impeachment or investigation, I will boldly face it," suggesting that he has no intention of resigning voluntarily.
Earlier in the day, Han Dong-hoon, leader of the ruling People Power Party said the party's lawmakers should vote on a motion to impeach Yoon.
Pointing out Yoon's failure to abide by his previous pledge to entrust state affairs including his presidential term to the party, Han added, "Since Yoon has no intention of resigning early, he should be immediately removed from state affairs including his role as commander-in-chief."
He further elaborated, "At this point, impeachment is the only way to stop the president, and those involved in martial law including Yoon must be held accountable."
reporter
Park Sae-jin
swatchsjp@ajunews.com
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