Wed Jan 01 08:49:13 UTC 2025: ## South Korean President’s Aides Offer Mass Resignation Amid Impeachment
**Seoul, South Korea –** Senior aides to impeached South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol have offered to resign en masse, following Acting President Choi Sang-mok’s controversial appointment of two new judges to the Constitutional Court hearing Mr. Yoon’s impeachment trial. The resignations, tendered on January 1st, include the chief of staff, policy chief, national security advisor, and special advisor on foreign affairs and security, among others.
While the aides previously threatened resignation following Mr. Yoon’s failed attempt to declare martial law on December 3rd, their offers were previously declined. Although they are not involved in day-to-day governance, they continue to report to the acting president.
Mr. Choi’s decision to fill the two vacancies on the nine-member court, bringing the total to eight judges, has been criticized by Mr. Yoon’s People Power Party as hasty and lacking consultation. A six-judge majority is needed for a ruling on the impeachment.
The resignations follow a turbulent period for South Korea’s leadership. Mr. Yoon faces investigations into allegations of insurrection, and a Seoul court approved his arrest on December 31st – a first for a sitting president. Finance Minister Choi assumed the acting presidency on December 27th, succeeding Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, who had temporarily held the position since December 14th. Protests in support of Mr. Yoon have also taken place.
First Piper 