South Korea’s president removed from office after court upholds impeachment

New Delhi, Apr 4: South Korea’s Constitutional Court on Friday unanimously upheld the impeachment of President Yoon Suk Yeol, officially removing him from office and setting the stage for a snap election within two months. The decision comes four months after the National Assembly voted to impeach Yoon over his surprise declaration of martial law in December, a move according to international media, that plunged the country into political turmoil and triggered nationwide protests.

Friday’s ruling brought a dramatic end to Yoon’s presidency and was met with a mix of jubilation and sorrow in the streets of Seoul.

Thousands of demonstrators from both sides of the political divide gathered outside government buildings, watching the decision unfold on live broadcasts. Cries of both celebration and disappointment echoed through the crowd. Authorities deployed some 14,000 riot police in anticipation of unrest, though the scene remained largely peaceful. Yoon, who had been suspended from his duties since the December 14 parliamentary vote, offered a brief apology following the court’s ruling. “I am truly sorry for failing to live up to the people’s expectations,” he said.

The case cantered on Yoon’s controversial imposition of martial law late last year, which he justified as a necessary response to what he called threats from opposition forces. However, the court found that he had violated constitutional limits on presidential powers. Under South Korea’s constitution, martial law can only be declared in wartime or in the face of a comparable national emergency, and parliament must be given the opportunity to approve or reject it. Testimony presented during the court proceedings alleged that Yoon ordered military forces to block lawmakers from entering the National Assembly, in an effort to stop them from voting against his decree. In its decision, the court said that Yoon had undermined the democratic process and exceeded his constitutional authority. “The president’s actions represented a clear and grave violation of the principles of democratic governance,” the judges said. With Yoon’s removal now confirmed, Prime Minister Han Min-soo will serve as acting president until a new leader is elected. South Korea’s National Election Commission has 60 days to organize the vote, and political parties are already scrambling to position themselves for what is expected to be a fiercely contested race. Yoon also faces a separate criminal charge of insurrection related to his actions in December. That trial is scheduled to begin later this year. Though emotions remain raw, there were no immediate signs of widespread unrest following the ruling This is only the second time in South Korea’s modern history that a sitting president has been removed from office through impeachment. The first occurred in 2017, when President Park Geun-hye was ousted amid a corruption scandal.