Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun resigns.
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South Korean President Yoon Seok-yeol has accepted the resignation of Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun and nominated Choi Byung-hyuk, the ambassador to Saudi Arabia, to be the new defense minister, Yonhap News reported on Thursday.
Yun’s office confirmed Choi, a former army general, as his nominee.
According to Yonhap News, Yoon’s chief of staff, Chung Jin-seok, praised Choi as “a principled person who carries out his duties with dedication and abides by regulations.”
Kim reportedly advised Yun to declare martial law on Tuesday, which was lifted after parliament voted to ask Yun to rescind it.
The nomination marks Yin’s first formal move after he announced in the early hours of Wednesday that he was withdrawing his declaration of martial law amid a flurry of political turmoil and diplomatic fallout.
Parliament introduced a motion early Thursday to impeach him for failing to impose martial law, but his party vowed to oppose the move and cast doubt on the process.
The main opposition Democratic Party has criticized Yun’s attempted martial law as an act of treason, and its members could lead a vote on the bill as early as Friday.
U.S. officials said they were completely caught off guard by Yun’s declaration of martial law, with Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell calling it “a very misguided decision.”
