South Korea constitutional court to rule on Yoon impeachment

South Korea's constitutional court is scheduled to convene for a verdict to decide whether impeached president Yoon Suk Yeol returns to office or is permanently removed.

South Korea's Constitutional Court will rule on Friday on whether to uphold the impeachment of Yoon Suk Yeol, months after the conservative president's declaration of martial law threw the country into chaos.

The court is scheduled will convene in a nationally televised session set to begin at 11 a.m. (0200 GMT) for a verdict to decide whether Yoon returns to office or is permanently removed.

At least six of the eight justices must vote in favor to uphold Yoon's impeachment.

Why was the president arrested?

Yoon was arrested and charged by prosecutors in January over his December 3 decision to declare martial law, a move that plunged the country into political turmoil.

South Korea's opposition-led parliament subsequently voted to impeach Yoon in mid-December, leading to his suspension from office.

Following his impeachment, the 64-year-old resisted arrest for two weeks at his presidential compound in central Seoul.

Yoon has since defended the short-lived imposition of martial law as a "proclamation that the nation was facing an existential crisis."

In March, Seoul's Central District Court canceled Yoon's arrest warrant, citing the timing of his indictment and "questions about the legality" of the investigation and freed him from prison.

What happens next?

If impeached, South Korea will have to elect a new president within the next 60 days.

Yoon is also facing a parallel criminal trial over insurrection charges related to the martial law declaration.

He is the first sitting South Korean president to stand trial in a criminal case. The case is expected to drag on well past his impeachment.

Edited by: Zac Crellin