Dangjeongdae Meeting on 'Emergency Martial Law Situation'... What About 'Cabinet Resignation'? (Comprehensive)

All Cabinet Members Submit Resignations Following the Presidential Office

President Yoon Suk-yeol's declaration of a 'martial law state' ended after six hours, but the aftermath is intense. Following the resignation of senior aides in the presidential office, all members of the Cabinet have collectively offered their resignations, making confusion inevitable.

According to the government on the 4th, Prime Minister Han Duck-soo will hold a private meeting at 2 p.m. at the Prime Minister's official residence in Samcheong-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul, with officials from the presidential office and the People Power Party. Han Dong-hoon, the party leader, and Choo Kyung-ho, the floor leader, are expected to attend from the ruling party. The meeting is likely to discuss the total resignation of the Cabinet following the emergency martial law situation.

Prime Minister Han Duck-soo is presiding over a Cabinet meeting at the Government Seoul Office in Jongno-gu, Seoul.

Earlier that day, around 11 a.m., Prime Minister Han convened a meeting at the Government Complex Seoul with Cabinet members to discuss issues including the total resignation of the Cabinet. Excluding the President and Prime Minister, there are 19 Cabinet members in total.

Prior to this, the presidential office announced that three chiefs?Jung Jin-seok, Chief of Staff to the President; Shin Won-sik, Director of National Security Office; and Sung Tae-yoon, Director of Policy Office?along with senior aides at the level of senior secretaries and above, collectively offered their resignations. It remains uncertain whether President Yoon will accept these resignations. Meanwhile, the ruling party reportedly reached a consensus during a party meeting to demand the dismissal of Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun, who proposed the 'total resignation of the Cabinet' and martial law.

However, around 1 p.m., Prime Minister Han issued a statement titled "A Message to the People," urging, "After this time, the Cabinet should continue to fulfill its duties alongside all public officials in every department to ensure the nation's security and the daily lives of the people remain completely stable." He added, "Until the very last moment, I will unite with the Cabinet members to serve the people." This is interpreted as an effort to manage the situation and prevent government paralysis should the entire Cabinet resign simultaneously.