South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol was ousted on Friday by the Constitutional Court, which upheld parliament’s impeachment over his imposition of martial law last year that sparked the country’s worst political crisis in decades.
The unanimous ruling caps months of political turmoil that have overshadowed efforts to deal with the new administration of U.S. President Donald Trump at a time of slowing growth in Asia’s fourth-largest economy.
A presidential election is now required to take place within 60 days, according to the constitution, with Prime Minister Han Duck-soo to continue serving as acting president until the new president is inaugurated.
“The Constitutional Court’s unanimous ruling has removed a major source of uncertainty,” said Professor Leif-Eric Easley of Ewha University in Seoul. “And not a moment too soon, given how the next administration in Seoul must navigate North Korea’s military threats, China’s diplomatic pressure, and Trump’s trade tariffs.”
Acting Chief Justice Moon Hyung-bae said Yoon violated his duty as president with his December 3 martial law declaration, acting beyond his constitutional powers with actions that were “a serious challenge to democracy”.
“(Yoon) committed a grave betrayal of the people’s trust who are the sovereign members of the democratic republic,” Moon said, adding that Yoon’s declaration of martial law created chaos in all areas of society, the economy and foreign policy.
Thousands of people at a rally calling for Yoon’s ouster, including hundreds who had camped out overnight, erupted into wild cheers on hearing the ruling, chanting “We won!”
“This took a long time but it’s fortunate that it is a sensible outcome,” said Kim Han-sol, a 23-year-old student at a rally who watched the ruling outside the court.
Supporters of Yoon who were gathered near his official residence watched the ruling on a big screen in stunned silence. Some reacted in anger, with one protester arrested for smashing a police bus window, the Yonhap news agency reported. Others held their heads in hands and wept.
The South Korean won was largely unfazed by Friday’s ruling, remaining at about 1% higher versus the dollar at 1,436.6 per dollar. The benchmark KOSPI was down 0.7%, also unchanged from the morning as the expected scenario was for the court to uphold the impeachment bill.
(REUTERS)
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