(Jan 1): South Korea’s Acting President Choi Sang-mok on Wednesday rejected an attempt by his advisers to resign en masse in the latest twist to the nation’s ongoing political turmoil.

The group of presidential aides, including the chief secretary, the director of national policy, and the national security adviser, have been seeking to step down since Dec 3, when President Yoon Suk Yeol briefly declared martial law and was subsequently impeached.

Their earlier offers to resign weren’t accepted by either the president or prime minister. On Wednesday, they tried for a second time, but Choi declined to accept, according to a statement from his office. 

The resignation offers came after Choi on Tuesday appointed two judges to the Constitutional Court, taking the total number of justices to eight. That raised the likelihood of a ruling to finalise the removal of Yoon, who has been suspended from power by Parliament.

Prime Minister Han Duck-soo took over from Yoon then was impeached by an opposition-controlled Parliament, after he refused to quickly approve the appointment of three judges. Choi is the second acting president since Yoon was impeached on Dec 14.

A South Korean court on Tuesday issued an arrest warrant for Yoon, who is under criminal investigation for insurrection allegations. Yoon denies those charges, and has pledged to fight in court. His lawyer has told reporters that the warrant for Yoon is illegal and invalid.

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