- Prime Minister Han Duck-soo served as acting president until his election.
- The court rejected the argument that the martial law order intends to warn.
- Yoon also faces a criminal trial on uprising charges.
Seoul: South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol was ousted by a Constitutional Court on Friday, which insisted on parliament’s impeachment motion for him last year, triggering the country’s worst political crisis in decades.
The political turmoil that ruled for several months shrouded the efforts of a new administration with U.S. President Donald Trump, a time when growth in Asia’s fourth largest economy slowed.
According to the country’s constitution, with Yoon’s removal, the presidential election must be held within 60 days.
Prime Minister Han Duck-SOO will continue to serve as acting president until the new president is launched.
“The unanimous ruling of the Constitutional Court eliminates major uncertainties,” said Professor Leif-eric Easley of Eha University in Seoul. “It’s not too early given how Seoul’s next administration must respond to North Korea’s military threat, Chinese diplomatic pressure, and Trump’s trade tariffs.”
Acting Chief Justice Moon Hyung-Bae said Yoon Won violated his responsibility as president, and his December 3 martial law declaration went beyond the powers granted to him under the constitution and described his actions as “a serious challenge to democracy.”
“(Yoon) committed a serious betrayal to the sovereign members of the Democratic Republic,” Moon said, adding that Yoon’s martial law declaration caused chaos in all areas of social, economic and foreign policy.
Thousands of people demanded Yoon’s strike at a rally, including hundreds camping overnight, burst into cheers when they heard the verdict, shouting “We win!”
Yoon’s supporters gathered near his formal residence and reacted angrily. A protester was arrested for smashing a police car window, Yonhap News Agency reported.
Friday’s ruling largely did not bring South Korea to a victory, maintaining at 15% of 1% at $1,436.6 per dollar until GMT 0249. The benchmark KOSPI fell 0.7%, also staying the same compared to the morning, as expected, as the court maintained the Impotence Act.
Dispute rejected
The court dismissed most of the Yuan’s argument that he declared a warning from martial law to the main opposition party’s abuse of its parliamentary majority, saying there is legal reason to resolve the differences.
Moon said martial law lacks reason and has procedural flaws. He added that mobilizing the army to oppose parliament’s undermining its functions is a serious violation of Yoon Won’s constitutional obligations to safeguard the independence of the three branches of the government.
The interim leader of the Yuan-ruling BJP’s interim leadership apologized to people, saying the party modestly accepted the court’s ruling and promised to work with the acting president to stabilize the country.
Acting President Han Ya-Su spoke after the ruling that he would do everything he could to ensure an orderly and peaceful presidential election.
Finance Minister Choi Sang-Mok is expected to convene an emergency meeting with South Korea’s governor and financial regulators.
The 64-year-old Yuan faces criminal trial on the uprising charges related to martial law. The embattled leader became the first incumbent South Korean president to be arrested on January 15, but was released in March after the court canceled the arrest warrant.
The Yuan-declared commandments sparked the crisis, saying he needed to root the “anti-state” elements, while the opposition Democrats allegedly abused their parliamentary majority, which he said was destroying.
Six hours later, Yoon staff in parliament used barricades and fire extinguishers to defend against special operations soldiers arriving by helicopters and breaking windows, who tried to enter the parliament, and MPs voted to refuse martial law. Yin once said he had never intended to impose emergency military rule completely and tried to downplay the consequences, saying no one was injured.
