South Korea’s President Yoon Suk Yeol removed from office over declaration of martial law

SEOUL South Korea AP South Korea s Constitutional Court removed impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol from office on Friday ending his tumultuous presidency and setting up an poll to find a new leader four months after he threw South Korean politics into turmoil with an ill-fated declaration of martial law The unanimous verdict capped a dramatic fall for Yoon a former star prosecutor who went from political novice to president in just a year after he entered politics In a nationally televised verdict the court s acting chief Moon Hyung-bae reported 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 disclosed Ultimately the declaration of martial law in this event violated the substantive requirements for crisis martial law Given the grave negative impact on constitutional order and the notable 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 Protesters erupt in jubilation At an anti-Yoon rally near the old royal palace that dominates downtown Seoul people erupted into tears and danced when the verdict was revealed Two women wept as they hugged and an old man near them leapt to his feet and screamed with bliss The crowd later began marching through Seoul streets A few people were dressed in cute blue bear costumes a protest mascot that uses the opposition s colors Korea faces an voting process with deep divisions An voting process will be held within two months to repalce Yoon but a festering national divide over Yoon s impeachment will likely continue and could complicate South Korea s efforts to deal with President Donald Trump s America First policies and North Korea s expanding ties with Russia observers say One of Yoon s lawyers Yoon Kap-keun called the ruling wholly incomprehensible and a pure political decision but the former president did not this instant issue a message Yoon s ruling People Power Party announced it would accept the decision Prime Minister Han Duck-soo the country s acting leader in a televised speech vowed to ensure there are no gaps in national defense and diplomacy and maintain residents safety and order Han was appointed prime minister by Yoon and became acting leader when Yoon s powers were suspended by impeachment Respecting the will of our sovereign people I will do my utmost to manage the next presidential polling in accordance with the constitution and the law ensuring a smooth transition to the next administration Han announced Surveys show Lee Jae-myung leader of the main liberal opposition Democratic Party is the early favorite to win electoral process to choose Yoon s successor Lee is facing trials for corruption and other charges Lee welcomed the ruling and credited the South Korean people for protecting our democratic republic The courage of the people who stood in the face of guns swords and tanks along with the bravery of troops who refused to obey unjust orders has led to this great revolution of light Lee noted Problem started with a night of chaos four months ago Martial law lasted only six hours but left behind a political emergency rattling financial markets and unsettling the country s diplomatic partners In January Yoon was separately arrested and indicted by prosecutors on alleged rebellion in connection with his decree a charge that carries the death penalty or a life sentence if convicted Under Yoon s decree the first of its kind in more than years hundreds of soldiers were dispatched to the assembly referendum offices and other sites Special operations soldiers smashed windows at the National Assembly and scuffled with citizens gathered to protest shocking South Koreans and evoking traumatic memories of military rule Enough lawmakers including specific from the ruling party managed to enter the assembly to vote down his decree unanimously No major violence occurred during the brief period of martial law but several senior military and police officers sent to the assembly have testified that Yoon ordered them to drag out lawmakers to block a vote on his decree or to detain his political rivals Yoon says the troops were deployed to the assembly purely to maintain order Yoon a conservative was impeached by the liberal opposition-controlled National Assembly on Dec The assembly accused him of violating the constitution and other laws by suppressing assembly pursuits attempting to detain politicians and undermining peace across the country In his final testimony at the Constitutional Court hearing Yoon announced his decree was a desperate attempt to draw society encouragement of his fight against the wickedness of the Democratic Party which had obstructed his agenda impeached top officers and slashed the administration s budget bill He earlier called the National Assembly a den of criminals and anti-state forces Yoon still faces criminal charges Several experts say Yoon may have imposed military rule to head off a accomplishable independent inquiry into scandals involving his wife Kim Keon Hee Without presidential immunity Yoon could face other criminal charges such as abuse of power He s the first South Korean president to be arrested or indicted while in office Yoon served as prosecutor-general under his predecessor liberal President Moon Jae-in before joining the now-ruling party in following disputes with Moon allies A constituents image as strong-minded and uncompromising helped him defeat Lee in the close-fought presidential voting But after becoming president Yoon has faced criticism that he refused to replace bureaucrats implicated in scandals and vetoed numerous bills passed by the assembly On foreign program Yoon pushed hard to bolster South Korea s military alliance with the United States and overcome long-running disputes with Japan over historical traumas He disclosed that a greater Seoul-Washington-Tokyo shield partnership is essential to coping with North Korea s growing nuclear threats Critics of Yoon accused him of unnecessarily provoking North Korea and neglecting relations with China South Korea s biggest trading partner Source