Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun resigned.
Anadolu | Anadolu | Getty Images
South Korean President Yoon Seok-yeol has accepted the resignation of Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun and nominated Ambassador Choi Byung-hyuk as the new defense minister, Yonhap News Agency reported on Thursday.
Yoon’s office confirmed the nomination of Choi, a former army general.
According to Yonhap News Agency, Yoon’s chief of staff Jung Jin-seok called Choi “a principled person who does his duty and abides by regulations.”
Kim Jong Un reportedly recommended that Yun declare martial law on Tuesday, but the order was lifted after parliament voted to ask Yun to lift martial law.
The nomination is Yun’s first formal move since announcing the withdrawal of martial law early Wednesday morning amid a storm of political turmoil and diplomatic fallout.
Parliament earlier on Thursday introduced a motion to impeach him over his botched attempt to impose martial law, but his party has vowed to oppose the move, throwing the process into doubt.
The main opposition Democratic Party has called Yoon’s martial law attempt an act of treason, and its lawmakers could lead a vote on the bill as soon as Friday.
U.S. officials said they were completely caught off guard by Yin’s martial law order, with Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell saying it was a “serious miscalculation.”
