South Korea: Court okays president’s impeachment over martial law declaration

South Korea’s Constitutional Court has officially removed President Yoon Suk Yeol from office, concluding a months-long political crisis triggered by his controversial declaration of martial law and deployment of troops to parliament.

The ruling, delivered unanimously on Friday, follows the National Assembly’s decision more than three months ago to impeach Yoon. 

The president’s move in December to send armed forces into the legislative chamber in a bid to break a political deadlock shocked the nation and ignited widespread protests. According to the court, the president’s actions amounted to serious violations of the constitution.

In line with constitutional requirements, South Korea must now organise a national election within two months to elect a new president. Early opinion polls have placed Lee Jae-myung, the leader of the main liberal opposition Democratic Party, as the frontrunner in the race.

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Yoon’s declaration of martial law on December 3 triggered mass street demonstrations across the country, both in support of and against his actions. “After abruptly declaring martial law on Dec. 3, Yoon sent hundreds of soldiers and police officers to the National Assembly.” 

While the former president claimed he was acting to restore order, testimonies from some military and police officials revealed that Yoon had instructed them to forcibly remove lawmakers to stop a vote on his decree.

Despite his efforts, a sufficient number of legislators were able to reconvene and “voted to strike down Yoon’s decree unanimously.” 

The situation escalated further when, on December 14, parliament formally impeached the president for “violating the constitution and other laws by suppressing assembly activities, attempting to detain politicians, and undermining peace across the country.”

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