South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol has been removed from office due to issues concerning martial law.
A significant shift is all but guaranteed to take place in South Korea’s politics after the country’s Constitutional Court unanimously ruled on Friday for the removal of President Yoon Suk Yeol from the office of the president. This dramatic ruling came more than four months after Yoon proclaimed martial law-a national chaos as well as deep political unrest.
The decision of the court is a shocking fall from grace for Yoon, who rose to power in 2022 in his rapid political rise from the former top prosecutor.
https://x.com/inquirerdotnet/status/1908005416484876333
Court Deeming Yoon’s Acts “Unconstitutional and Destructive”
At the nationally televised hearing, acting Chief Justice Moon Hyung-bae expounded on the decision, saying that Yoon’s declaration of martial law was unconstitutional and caused widespread harm across the nation.
“Bringing back memories of past abuses, the president caused shock and confusion across all aspects of society-politics, economy, diplomacy, and more,” said Justice Moon. He stressed that such a move falls short of silencing the intrusion of democracy but justified it amid immediate costs to protect the integrity of the national institution.
Emotional Public Reactions
The court decision incited very strong emotions all over the country; some anti-Yoon protestors were caught crying, hugging, and dancing in celebration outside the courthouse. Others thronged the streets of Seoul with flags waving and chanting.
Yoon’s supporters gathered outside his official residence, several were seen crying and hurling abuses at camera crews after they saw the ruling on a large TV screen. The brief situation became tense until a protest leader stepped in to calm matters down.
“We will not back down!” shouted one protester. “Anyone who accepts this decision is betraying us!”
New Election Within Two Months
In official terms, South Korea will hold a new presidential election within 60 days, meant to take place after Yoon’s official ousting. Yet, political experts pointed out that such divisions would make it difficult for most citizens to focus attention on urgent national issues like the economy and foreign relations, especially those policies concerned with the U.S.
Yoon issued a brief statement through his legal team saying regrets to fall short of public expectation, without clearly accepting the court’s decision. He promised to pray for the country and opined that serving as president was “the greatest honor of my life.”
The ruling People Power Party declared it would respect the court’s ruling. One of Yoon’s lawyers, however, termed the ruling “unfair and purely political”.
