Defense Minister expresses his intention to resign

[Anchor]

Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun, who proposed to invoke the emergency martial law, has expressed his intention to resign.

He stated that all responsibility lies with him.

Let's connect to the Ministry of National Defense.

Reporter Jo Hye-jin! Is Minister Kim still at the government building?

[Report]

Minister Kim Yong-hyun is reported to have spent most of today (Dec. 4) at the Ministry of National Defense building.

It seems he is preparing related responses as he is set to appear as a witness for an emergency inquiry by the National Assembly's Defense Committee tomorrow (Dec. 5).

Earlier, around 6:15 PM today, Minister Kim sent a statement to the defense press corps via text, revealing that he expressed his intention to resign to the President.

This came about 30 minutes after the Democratic Party of Korea proposed an impeachment motion against him.

On this day, Minister Kim reportedly only visited the Presidential Office and discussed the manner and content of his resignation within the Ministry of National Defense building.

In his statement, Minister Kim expressed his apologies to the public, explaining that all soldiers followed the minister's orders, thus he bears all responsibility.

Minister Kim has faced increased criticism, especially since he stated three months ago during his confirmation hearing that a state of emergency was impossible.

If the President approves this, the Ministry of National Defense will operate under an acting deputy minister system for the time being.

In response, the Ministry of National Defense has postponed schedules, including the 4th Korea-U.S. Nuclear Consultative Group meeting that was to be held in Washington, D.C.

The Joint Chiefs of Staff held an emergency commanders' meeting, emphasizing the need to maintain operational discipline across the military and to focus on monitoring and vigilance operations against North Korea.

Chairman Kim Myung-soo also stated that he had a coordination call with U.S. Forces Korea Commander Paul LaCamera to ensure thorough preparedness against provocations from North Korea.

This has been a report from the Ministry of National Defense.