South Korea’s Constitutional Court removes President Yoon Suk-yeol

The Constitutional Court of South Korea has removed President Yoon Suk-yeol from office. The square in Seoul was divided between shouts of jubilation and despair among the demonstrators for and against the conservative president, who at the beginning of December had proclaimed martial law and was then impeached by the opposition, which controls the Parliament. The country will have to go to the polls within 60 days: the Democratic Party leader, Lee Jae-myung, is one of the favourites.

The unanimous verdict capped a dramatic fall for Yoon, a former star prosecutor who went from political novice to president in 2022, just a year after he entered politics.

In a nationally televised verdict, the court’s acting chief Moon Hyung-bae said the eight-member bench upheld Yoon’s impeachment because his martial law decree seriously violated the constitution and other laws.

“The defendant not only declared martial law, but also violated the constitution and laws by mobilizing military and police forces to obstruct the exercise of legislative authority,” Moon said, “Ultimately, the declaration of martial law in this case violated the substantive requirements for emergency martial law.”

“Given the grave negative impact on constitutional order and the significant ripple effects of the defendant’s violations, we find that the benefits of upholding the constitution by removing the defendant from office far outweigh the national losses from the removal of a president,” the justice concluded.

At an anti-Yoon rally near the old royal palace that dominates downtown Seoul, people erupted into tears and danced when the verdict was announced. Two women wept as they hugged and an old man near them leapt to his feet and screamed with joy.

The crowd later began marching through Seoul streets. Some people were dressed in cute blue bear costumes, a protest mascot that uses the opposition’s colors.

Outside Yoon’s official residence, thousands of supporters cried and screamed when they saw the news of the verdict on a giant TV screen. They waved South Korean and U.S. flags and chanted slogans.

“We will absolutely not be shaken!” a protest leader shouted on stage. “Anyone who accepts this ruling and prepares for an early presidential election is our enemy.”

No major violence was immediately reported.

Source: Kofi Acquah