South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol nominated Choi Byung-hyuk as the country’s new Defence Minister after he accepted the resignation of the current Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun. According to the South Korean news agency, Yonhap, Kim’s resignation came amid growing controversy surrounding his role in Yoon’s brief declaration of martial law.
The opposition lawmakers have already moved to impeach both Yoon and Kim over the stunning yet short-lived imposition of martial law that brought armed troops into Seoul streets. Reports soon started to float that it was Kim, who proposed the martial law declaration to Yoon and ordered the deployment of troops to the parliament, leading to clashes between the army and lawmakers.
The martial law was lifted the same day it was proposed following the National Assembly’s passage of a resolution to overturn it. According to Yonhap, Yoon’s new pick Choi is a retired four-star Army general currently serving as South Korea’s ambassador to Saudi Arabia.
Yoon picks a seasoned military professional
Choi served as deputy commander of the South Korea-US combined command from 2019 to 2020 and is touted as a seasoned military professional with a broad understanding of national security and extensive field experience, Yonhap reported
“The nominee is considered to be a suitable candidate to fulfil the military’s core responsibilities, including maintaining a firm readiness posture based on the robust South Korea-U.S. alliance,” Chung Jin-suk, Yoon’s chief of staff, said in a press briefing.
It is pertinent to note that in South Korea, all ministers in the president’s cabinet are subject to a parliamentary confirmation process, but only the prime minister’s appointment requires parliamentary approval. However, the parliament currently seems like swinging the other way.
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