South Korea's governing party head supports suspending Yoon's powers, making impeachment more likely

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korea’s governing party chief expressed support Friday for suspending the constitutional powers of President Yoon Suk Yeol for imposing martial law this week, in a bombshell reversal that makes Yoon’s impeachment more likely.

Opposition parties are pushing for a parliamentary vote on Yoon’s impeachment on Saturday, calling his short-lived martial law declaration an “unconstitutional, illegal rebellion or coup.” But they need support from some members of the president’s People Power Party to get the two-thirds majority required to pass the impeachment motion.

The turmoil resulting from Yoon’s nighttime martial law decree has frozen South Korean politics and caused worry among neighbors, including fellow democracy Japan, and Seoul’s top ally, the United States, as one of the strongest democracies in Asia faces a political crisis that could unseat its leader.

During a party meeting, PPP leader Han Dong-hun stressed the need to suspend Yoon’s presidential duties and power swiftly, saying he poses a “significant risk of extreme actions, like reattempting to impose martial law, which could potentially put the Republic of Korea and its citizens in great danger.”

Han said he had received intelligence that Yoon had ordered the country’s defense counterintelligence commander to arrest and detain unspecified key politicians based on accusations of “anti-state activities” when martial law was in force.

“It’s my judgment that an immediate suspension of President Yoon Suk Yeol’s official duties is necessary to protect the Republic of Korea and its people,” Han said.

Impeaching Yoon would require support from 200 of the National Assembly’s 300 members. The opposition parties that jointly brought the impeachment motion have 192 seats combined. PPP has 108 lawmakers.

If Yoon is impeached, he would be suspended until the Constitutional Court rules on whether to remove him from office or restore his presidential power. Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, the country’s No. 2 official, would take over presidential responsibilities.

The Defense Ministry said it suspended the defense counterintelligence commander, Yeo In-hyung, who Han alleged had received orders from Yoon to detain the politicians. The ministry also suspended Lee Jin-woo, commander of the capital defense command, and Kwak Jong-geun, commander of the special warfare command, over their involvement in enforcing martial law.

In a closed-door briefing to lawmakers, Hong Jang-won, first deputy director of South Korea’s National Intelligence Service, said Yoon called after imposing martial law and ordered him to help the defense counterintelligence unit to detain key politicians. The targeted politicians included Han, opposition leader Lee Jae-myung and National Assembly speaker Woo Won Shik, said Kim Byung-kee, one of the lawmakers who attended the meeting. Kim said Hong told lawmakers he ignored Yoon’s orders.

The spy agency’s director, Cho Taeyong, questioned Hong’s account. Cho told reporters that such an order would have come to him, rather than Hong, and that he never received any orders from Yoon to detain politicians.

Han earlier said he would work to defeat the impeachment motion even though he criticized Yoon’s martial law declaration as “unconstitutional.” Han said there was a need to “prevent damage to citizens and supporters caused by unprepared chaos.”

Thousands of protesters have marched in the streets of Seoul since Wednesday, calling for Yoon to resign and be investigated. Thousands of autoworkers and other members of the Korean Metal Workers’ Union, one of the country’s biggest umbrella labor groups, have started hourly strikes since Thursday to protest Yoon. The union said its members will start on indefinite strikes beginning on Dec. 11 if Yoon was still in office then.

Vice Defense Minister Kim Seon Ho promised the ministry’s “active cooperation” with an investigation by prosecutors into the military’s role in Yoon’s martial law enforcement. He said military prosecutors will also be involved in the investigation. He denied media speculation that Yoon and his military confidantes might consider imposing martial law a second time.

“Even if there’s a demand to enforce martial law, the Defense Ministry and the Joint Chiefs of Staff will absolutely not accept it,” Kim said.

Kim became the acting defense minister after Yoon’s office on Thursday accepted the resignation of Defense Minister Kim Yong Hyun, who has also been banned from traveling while he is investigated over the imposition of martial law.

Opposition parties and Han allege that it was Kim Yong Hyun who recommended that Yoon declare martial law. During a parliamentary hearing on Thursday, Kim Seon Ho said Kim Yong Hyun also ordered troops to be deployed to the National Assembly after Yoon imposed martial law.

Han leads a minority faction within the ruling party, and 18 lawmakers in his faction voted with opposition lawmakers to overturn Yoon’s martial law decree. Martial law ultimately lasted about six hours, after its quick overrule by the National Assembly forced Yoon’s Cabinet to lift it before daybreak Wednesday.

The main liberal opposition Democratic Party leader Lee Jae-myung said in a televised speech Friday that it was crucial to suspend Yoon as “quickly as possible.”

Lee said Yoon’s martial law enforcement amounted to “rebellion and also a self-coup.” He said Yoon’s move caused serious damage to the country’s image and paralyzed foreign policy, pointing to criticism from the Biden administration and foreign leaders canceling their visits to South Korea.

Yoon has made no immediate response to Han’s comments. He hasn’t made public appearances since he made a televised announcement that his martial law decree was lifted.

Prosecutor General Shim Woo Jung told reporters the prosecution plans to investigate rebellion charges against Yoon following complaints filed by the opposition. While the president mostly has immunity from prosecution while in office, the protection does not extend to allegations of rebellion or treason. It wasn’t immediately clear how the prosecution plans to proceed with an investigation on Yoon.

The Democratic Party is also considering filing a complaint against PPP floor leader Choo Kyung-ho, whom the opposition party accuse of attempting to facilitate Yoon’s martial law enforcement.

Choo, a Yoon loyalist, had asked party lawmakers to convene at the party’s headquarters rather than the National Assembly after martial law began. That meant fewer lawmakers were present for parliament’s vote on lifting martial law.

Vehicles are parked on the lawn of the National Assembly to prevent helicopters from landing due to concerns of any possible additional acts following the President's short-lived martial law declaration at the National Assembly in Seoul, South Korea, Friday, Dec. 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)

South Korea's ruling People Power Party leader Han Dong-hun, center, is surrounded by the media at the National Assembly in Seoul, South Korea, Friday, Dec. 6, 2024. (Park Dong-ju/Yonhap via AP)

South Korea's main opposition Democratic Party leader Lee Jae-myung, bottom center, shouts slogans during a joint press conference with members of civil society and the five opposition parties to condemn the ruling People Power Party at the National Assembly in Seoul, South Korea, Friday, Dec. 6, 2024. The signs read "Impeach Yoon Suk Yeol." (Park Dong-ju/Yonhap via AP)

CORRECTS DATE - South Korea's ruling People Power Party leader Han Dong-hun, third from left, speaks during a meeting of the party's leadership at the National Assembly in Seoul, South Korea, Thursday, Dec. 5, 2024. (Kim Ju-hyung/Yonhap via AP)

CORRECTS DATE - South Korea's ruling People Power Party leader Han Dong-hun, right, speaks during a meeting of the party's leadership at the National Assembly in Seoul, South Korea, Thursday, Dec. 5, 2024. (Kim Ju-hyung/Yonhap via AP)

South Korea's ruling People Power Party leader Han Dong-hun, third from left, speaks during a meeting of the party's leadership at the National Assembly in Seoul, South Korea, Friday, Dec. 6, 2024. (Kim Ju-hyung/Yonhap via AP)

South Korea's ruling People Power Party leader Han Dong-hun, right, speaks during a meeting of the party's leadership at the National Assembly in Seoul, South Korea, Friday, Dec. 6, 2024. (Kim Ju-hyung/Yonhap via AP)

A participant holds candle during a candlelight vigil against South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol in Seoul, South Korea, Thursday, Dec. 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)

People shout slogans during a candlelight vigil against South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol in Seoul, South Korea, Thursday, Dec. 5, 2024. The letters read "Resign Yoon Suk Yeol." (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)

Protesters march to the presidential office after a candlelight vigil against South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol in Seoul, South Korea, Thursday, Dec. 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)

Protesters march to the presidential office after a candlelight vigil against South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol in Seoul, South Korea, Thursday, Dec. 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)

Protesters attend a candlelight vigil against South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol in Seoul, South Korea, Thursday, Dec. 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)

Protesters march to the presidential office after a candlelight vigil against South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol in Seoul, South Korea, Thursday, Dec. 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)

South Korea's ruling People Power Party leader Han Dong-hun, right, speaks during a press conference at the National Assembly in Seoul, South Korea, Friday, Dec. 6, 2024. (Jo Sung-bong/Newsis via AP)

FILE - President Joe Biden, right, and South Korea's President Yoon Suk Yeol shake hands during a news conference in the Rose Garden of the White House, April 26, 2023, in Washington. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik, File)

FILE - South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol answers a reporter's question during a news conference at the Presidential Office in Seoul, South Korea, Thursday, Nov. 7, 2024. (Kim Hong-Ji/Pool Photo via AP, File)

In this photo provided by South Korea Presidential Office, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol speaks during a press briefing at the presidential office in Seoul, South Korea, Tuesday, Dec. 3, 2024. (South Korea Unification Ministry via AP).

Protesters march to the presidential office after a candlelight vigil against South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol in Seoul, South Korea, Thursday, Dec. 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)

Protesters march to the presidential office after a candlelight vigil against South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol in Seoul, South Korea, Thursday, Dec. 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)

A man holds two candles as he joins a candlelight vigil against South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol in Seoul, South Korea, Thursday, Dec. 5, 2024 (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)

Protesters take part in a candlelight vigil against South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol in Seoul, South Korea, Thursday, Dec. 5, 2024 (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)

Protesters march to the presidential office after a candlelight vigil against South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol in Seoul, South Korea, Thursday, Dec. 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)

TOKYO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan 23, 2025--

Global IT corporation FPT, Chugoku Electric Power, one of Japan’s leading utility providers, and Enecom, a prominent technology and communication innovator, have recently formed a partnership to accelerate Chugoku Electric Power’s digital transformation goals. This collaboration is set to contribute significantly to the Japanese energy giant’s ambitious “Energia Change 2030” initiative, a strategy focused on innovation, operational efficiency, and sustainability.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20250123351510/en/

FPT and Enecom will collaborate to support Chugoku Electric Power’s digital transformation initiatives by implementing advanced technologies such as Generative AI and Cloud computing. Prior to this agreement, FPT collaborated with Enecom on power generation systems, and in 2023, it helped Chugoku Electric Power implement a Microsoft 365 pilot project, laying the foundation for organization-wide deployment. Leveraging FPT’s global delivery model and experience delivering Enecom and Chugoku Electric Power’s past projects, the three companies are also in discussion to establish a Vietnam-based Offshore Development Center (ODC), aimed at providing cost-effective and scalable IT solutions.

“The energy and utilities sector in Japan is characterized by a strong focus on digital transformation, operational efficiency, and the integration of advanced technologies to enhance service delivery and sustainability. With FPT’s deep domain understanding and a robust global workforce, we will drive impactful innovations for Chugoku Electric Power, to not only achieve its transformative goals but also reinforce its leading position among the country’s largest energy players,” said Do Van Khac, FPT Software Senior Executive Vice President and FPT Japan Chief Executive Officer, FPT Corporation.

Hitoshi Kamakura, Chugoku Electric Power’s Executive Officer and Chief Operating Officer, Digital Innovation Division, expressed optimism about the collaboration: “We hope that new value will be created in the future by combining the high technical capabilities of FPT, a global company, with Chugoku Electric Power Co.’s vision. As digital technology evolves day by day, we will use it to advance operational and business reforms. With the cooperation of FPT and Enecom, we would like to take on the challenge of automating operations, reducing labor, and ultimately creating new services.”

Keiji Okabe, President of Enecom, also emphasized the importance of the partnership: “We will work with FPT to understand Chugoku Electric Power’s challenges and needs in promoting digital transformation and providing optimal solutions. With our knowledge of Chugoku Electric Power’s existing operations and systems, we can work with FPT on business solutions that address digital transformation issues.”

With nearly two decades of establishment in Japan, FPT has solidified its position as one of the largest foreign-invested technology enterprises in the market by workforce capacity. It boasts 4,000 employees across 17 offices and innovation hubs in Japan, supported by 15,000 professionals worldwide, serving over 450 global clients.

About FPT

FPT Corporation (FPT) is a globally leading technology and IT services provider headquartered in Vietnam. FPT operates in three core sectors: Technology, Telecommunications, and Education. During over three decades of development, FPT has constantly provided practical and effective products to millions of people and tens of thousands of business and non-business organizations worldwide, establishing Vietnam’s position on the global tech map. Keeping up with the latest market trends and emerging technologies, FPT has developed the Made-by-FPT ecosystem of services, products, solutions, and platforms, which enables sustainable growth for organizations and businesses and offers distinctive experiences to customers. In 2023, FPT recorded a total revenue of USD 2.17 billion and 48,000+ employees. For more information about global IT services, please visit https://fptsoftware.com/.

About Chugoku Electric Power Co.

Chugoku Electric Power Co., Inc. is a leading energy company headquartered in Hiroshima, Japan. The company operates across key sectors, including power generation and retail electricity services. With a commitment to innovation and sustainability, Chugoku Electric Power Co. aims to meet the evolving energy needs of communities while driving operational excellence and environmental stewardship. For more information, visit https://www.energia.co.jp/.

About Enecom

Enecom Co., Ltd. is a dynamic company headquartered in Hiroshima, Japan, specializing in solution services, DX consulting, system integration, and internet connection services. With a diverse portfolio, Enecom provides robust fiber-optic communication networks, data center services, and cloud solutions tailored for individual and corporate clients. Enecom empowers businesses to overcome challenges and achieve growth by offering reliable cloud services, secure private networks, and cutting-edge ICT expertise. For more information, visit https://www.enecom.co.jp/.

Representatives from FPT, Chugoku Electric Power, and Enecom at the MOU Signing Ceremony in Tokyo, Japan (Photo: Business Wire)