South Korean Defence Minister Resigns Amid Row Over Imposition Of Martial Law

South Korean Defence Minister Kim Yong-Hyun stepped down from the post after the martial law debacle that threw the country into chaos. President Yoon Suk-yeol accepted Kim’s resignation and nominated the ambassador to Saudi Arabia, Choi Byung-hyuk as the new defence minister, said the presidential office on Thursday. 
Kim was seen as a central figure in Yoon’s declaration of martial law on Tuesday, reported Reuters. According to a senior military official and filings to impeach the President by opposition members, Kim made the recommendation to Yoon. 
Yoon’s chief of staff, Chung Jin-suk, called Choi “a person of principle who carries out his duties with dedication and adheres to regulations.” 
The nomination of a new defence minister is the first official move by Yoon after he announced the withdrawal of the martial law declaration in the early hours of Wednesday, amid a storm of political turmoil and diplomatic fallout. 
On Thursday, the Parliament introduced a motion to impeach Yoon over the botched attempt to impose martial law which was opposed by his party, throwing the process into doubt. 
The main opposition Democratic Party dubbed Yoon’s attempt at imposing martial law as a treasonous act, while the opposition lawmakers could lead a vote for the bill as early as Friday. 
The US said it was caught completely off guard by Yoon’s surprise declaration as the Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell called the move “badly misjudged.” 
Campbell lauded the political leaders of South Korea for agreeing to Yoon’s decision to be “deeply problematic” despite deep political polarisation and division was a reassuring tribute to the strength of South Korean democracy, reported the Guardian.
Seoul would be “in a challenging place” in the next few months, Campbell said, adding the US goal would be to make clear its alliance with South Korea is “absolutely rock solid.” 
The ruling People Power Party said it would oppose the impeachment motion that was introduced by the opposition on Thursday, however, the party remains divided over the crisis. 
While the opposition Democratic Party has a majority in the Parliament, it will still need at least eight lawmakers from the ruling party to back the bill in order for it to pass. 
The shock martial law declaration by Yoon on Tuesday sought to ban political activity and censor the media in the East Asian country, a key US ally and Asia’s fourth-largest economy. The announcement unleashed six hours of chaos in the country.