North Korea state media slams South’s Yoon as ‘ringleader of rebellion’
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North Korean state media on Dec 16 issued its first report on South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol’s impeachment.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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SEOUL – North Korean state media on Dec 16 decried the S outh’s impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol
Pyongyang has been relatively tight-lipped over South Korea’s political turmoil, which culminated on Dec 14 in the country’s Parliament voting to impeach him over “insurrection”.
Mr Yoon has been suspended while South Korea’s Constitutional Court deliberates the impeachment, with Prime Minister Han Duck-soo serving as interim leader.
As at Dec 14, the court had 180 days to rule on Mr Yoon’s future.
Pyongyang’s state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported on Dec 16 that Mr Yoon had attempted to shift responsibility for the “foolish emergency martial law declaration” onto opposition parties.
“The investigation into puppet Yoon Suk Yeol, the ringleader of the rebellion, and his accomplices is under way,” KCNA said.
“The puppet Constitutional Court will finally decide” on whether to remove Mr Yoon, it added.
North Korean state media often refers to the South’s leaders and institutions as being a “puppet” of its treaty ally, the United States.
KCNA previously described the South as being “in chaos” over the martial law order.
Relations between the two Koreas have been at one of their lowest points in years, with the North launching a flurry of ballistic missiles in violation of UN sanctions.
An investigation into Mr Yoon and his inner circle over last week’s martial law declaration rumbled on as the turmoil deepened.
Mr Yoon remains under a travel ban while the probe is ongoing.
On Dec 15, the prosecution said in a press release it had summoned Mr Yoon for questioning over insurrection allegations “but he refused to comply”.
They said they would issue a “second summons”, with Yonhap news agency reporting that could come on Dec 16.
Vast protests both for and against Mr Yoon have rocked the South Korean capital since the Dec 3 martial law decree.
Demonstrators in both camps have vowed to keep up the pressure campaign as the Constitutional Court mulls over Mr Yoon’s fate.
On Dec 15, the police arrested both the current and former heads of the Defence Intelligence Command in connection to the insurrection allegations, Yonhap reported.
Prosecutors said they were also seeking an arrest warrant for the head of the Army Special Warfare Command, Lieutenant-General Kwak Jong-keun, according to Yonhap.
Lt-Gen Kwak is accused of sending special forces troops to Parliament during the martial law bid – sparking a dramatic confrontation between soldiers and parliamentary staff.
The South Korean government has meanwhile sought to project an air of business as usual.
Acting President Han on Dec 15 held a call with US President Joe Biden, who underscored the strength of bilateral ties.
Mr Han has also ordered the military to “enhance vigilance” against North Korea, with which the South technically remains at war. AFP
