South Korea

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol impeached after martial law ploy

Author: Editors Desk Source: The Washington Post

December 14, 2024 at 14:15

Photo: Publié par le bureau présidentiel sud-coréen via Agence France-Presse Le président Yoon Suk-yeol prononçant un discours public depuis sa résidence officielle à Séoul

Yoon must immediately hand over power to the prime minister, who will act as caretaker while the courts review the impeachment vote. The process could take months.

SEOUL — The South Korean National Assembly voted Saturday to impeach President Yoon Suk Yeol, forcing him to immediately hand power over to the prime minister following his short-lived attempt this month to impose martial law.

The hundreds of thousands of South Koreans waiting outside the National Assembly, many singing along to K-pop-style songs with ad-libbed lyrics calling for Yoon’s departure, erupted into cheering and crying when the verdict was announced.

But South Korea now enters a prolonged period of uncertainty: The Constitutional Court must decide whether to uphold the impeachment charges, a process that could take up to six months. If the court decides the legislature’s decision is constitutional, Yoon will be removed from office and a new presidential election will be held within 60 days.

Saturday’s vote was the National Assembly’s second attempt to oust Yoon. He survived the opposition parties’ first impeachment effort on Dec. 7, after lawmakers from his conservative People Power Party boycotted the vote

But Yoon’s refusal to resign, and his defiantly stated belief that he was right to declare martial law, appears to have convinced some lawmakers from his party to cross the aisle.