section_path: Aftermath/Protests against Yoon Suk Yeol
section_name: Protests against Yoon Suk Yeol
paragraph_text: Protests against Yoon Suk Yeol
  
  Inspector General of the Ministry of Justice Ryu Hyuk resigned in protest shortly after attending a meeting convened on martial law by Justice Minister Park Sung-jae. Shortly after Yoon backed down and lifted martial law, the opposition began to consider his impeachment. Some South Korean analysts described the episode as a self-coup attempt to seize power. In the early hours of 4 December, dozens of Yoon's aides resigned en masse following the martial law declaration and recantation. That same day, the Supreme Court announced it would investigate whether the declaration was illegal, given that he had failed to abide by mandatory provisions such as notifying both the cabinet and the legislature beforehand. On 6 December, the Constitutional Court also opened an investigation into the legality of Yoon's martial law declaration.
  
  The leadership of the PPP discussed expelling Yoon from the party during a meeting. Han Dong-hoon urged Yoon to immediately fire Defense Minister Kim for proposing the idea and later said he asked Yoon to leave the PPP through the prime minister and presidential officials. The DPK also confirmed they would initiate impeachment proceedings against Yoon, along with Kim and Interior Minister Lee Sang-min on 5 December if Yoon did not resign. Kim later apologized and took responsibility for the soldiers' actions. He also offered his resignation, which was accepted by Yoon. In a separate interview, Kim said that the deployment of soldiers to the National Election Commission was aimed at assessing the "necessity of an investigation into alleged election fraud". In response, the commission denounced the incursion as a violation of the Constitution and pledged to take legal action. At noon on 4 December, Prime Minister Han Duck-soo held a meeting with Yoon's remaining cabinet members, and party leaders to discuss the fallout of the martial law declaration. He subsequently apologized and took full responsibility for what had happened.
  
  Later on 4 December, all of the major newspapers in South Korea and the National Union of Media Workers unanimously condemned Yoon and called for his arrest, saying the martial law was illegal and an attempted repeat of the brutal coups of the 1980s. At the same time, multiple South Korean celebrities also heavily condemned Yoon. The Catholic Bishops' Conference of Korea, the Korean Methodist Church, the National Council of Churches in Korea, and the Korean Church Human Rights Center criticized the declaration of martial law, while the national association of Won Buddhist clerics called for Yoon's impeachment. A joint declaration was signed by 370 professors and researchers at Korea University calling for Yoon's impeachment. The emergency medical professors of Seoul National University and Seoul National University Hospital also criticized martial law and its attempt to halt the ongoing doctors' strike and supported Yoon's impeachment. Especially, the term 'cheodan' (처단) in Article 5 of the decree on martial law has sparked strong reactions from both medical professionals and the general public in Korea. Although it was translated as 'punishment' in this document, its real-world usage aligns more closely with 'execution', fueling significant controversy. The chair of the Chungam High School Foundation called Yoon and Kim Yong-hyun "shameful graduates". The school also suspended its uniform policy for students amid concerns over harassment, adding that some of its school bus drivers had been harassed by passersby and that it had received hundreds of protest calls. Its student council also issued a statement supporting Yoon's impeachment. Five MPs of the PPP from Han Dong-hoon's faction expressed support for amending the constitution to shorten Yoon's term from 2027 to 2026. Some PPP legislators also called for amendments shifting power from the president to the prime minister and allowing for power-sharing between parties under a coalition government.
  
  On 5 December, Kim Min-seok, who had previously warned of a possible declaration of martial law in August, said that he was "100 percent certain" that Yoon would try and declare martial law again, attributing Yoon's motivations as to protect himself and his wife from ongoing investigations. He also attributed the failure of the 3 December declaration to popular resistance and the incompetence of Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun. The Center for Military Human Rights Korea also warned of such a possibility, citing the Army restricting leave for some officers and implementing stringent regulations effective until 8 December, which coincided with the period that proposals to impeach Yoon are being discussed in the National Assembly. On 6 December, the Defense Ministry and the Joint Chiefs of Staff denied the allegations and said that they would not comply with a second declaration of martial law, while the DPK said all 170 of its lawmakers will remain on emergency standby within the National Assembly premises to vote down future declarations of martial law. The National Assembly Secretariat barred officials from the Defense Ministry, police and the NIS from entering its buildings "for the time being".
  
  On the afternoon of 6 December, rumors that Yoon would visit the Assembly for a meeting with the PPP prompted opposition lawmakers and staff to gather at the building's main rotunda to block his entry, while additional entry restrictions were imposed on other visitors and the complex's day care center was advised to send children home early. The Presidential Office later said that Yoon had no plans to visit the legislature.
  
  On 3 January 2025, the city government of Gwangju raised the state flag of Virginia, which contains the inscription Sic semper tyrannis, in front of the city hall, with mayor Kang Ki-jung denouncing Yoon for abuse of power. The mayor claimed to have received it from the state's governor alongside a letter of appreciation.