South Korea’s highest court has removed embattled President Yoon Suk Yeol from office, ending months of uncertainty and legal wrangling after he briefly declared martial law in December and plunged the nation into political turmoil.
The court’s decision on Friday marks Yoon’s formal dismissal from the presidency after parliament voted to impeach him in December. His removal takes effect immediately, and he must now leave the presidential residence.
The long-running crisis has left a major global economy and key US ally rudderless at a fraught moment in world affairs, especially as US President Donald Trump’s “America First” agenda upends decades of foreign policy norms and dismantles the global trading system.
The Constitutional Court’s eight justices unanimously ruled to uphold Yoon’s impeachment.
Moon Hyung-bae, the court’s acting head judge, said Yoon’s martial law decree was unconstitutional as there was no grave national crisis at the time and his reasons for declaring it “cannot be justified.”
The president had violated the formal process of declaring martial law, infringed on lawmakers’ rights, and violated his duty as head of the armed forces by forcing soldiers to confront the public, the judge added.
In a separate criminal trial, Yoon was arrested in January on charges of leading an insurrection, then released in March after a court canceled his arrest warrant – though it did not drop his charges.
The verdict was met with mixed reactions across the South Korean capital.
Yoon’s opponents exploded in celebration and jubilation outside the court, waving flags and dancing to music. Many had been afraid that if he were reinstated, he could declare martial law again. But the mood was more still and somber outside Yoon’s official residence where his conservative supporters had gathered.
The issue has been hugely divisive, with major crowds taking to the streets both for and against Yoon’s removal. Police ramped up security in the capital ahead of the verdict, setting up barriers and checkpoints, and warning against any violence.
It’s a remarkable fall from grace for the former prosecutor-turned-politician, who rose to prominence for his role in the impeachment and imprisonment of another president years ago – only to now meet the same fate.
What happens now?
Under South Korean law, a general election to choose a new president must be held within 60 days of Yoon’s removal.
One potential candidate for the country’s next president is opposition leader Lee Jae-myung, a former lawyer and lawmaker who narrowly lost to Yoon in the 2022 presidential election.
Meanwhile, Yoon is still dogged by other legal proceedings, including his insurrection trial. It’s one of the few criminal charges a president does not have immunity from – and is punishable by life imprisonment or death, although South Korea has not executed anyone in decades.
The indictment had alleged that Yoon’s imposition of martial law – during which he sent troops to parliament, with commanders testifying they were ordered to “drag out” lawmakers – was an illegal attempt to shut down the National Assembly and arrest politicians and election authorities.
Yoon has said his decree was justified by political deadlock and threats from “anti-state forces” sympathetic to North Korea, and was intended as a temporary warning to the liberal opposition. He claimed that he always planned to respect lawmakers’ will if they voted to lift the decree.
In the end, his decree only lasted six hours. Yoon reversed the declaration after lawmakers forced their way into parliament and voted unanimously to block it – beginning four months of political disarray, during which parliament also voted to impeach the prime minister and acting president.
Fall from grace
Before taking office in 2022, Yoon was a star prosecutor and a key figure in the sweeping investigation of South Korea’s last impeached president, Park Geun-hye. Park was removed from office in 2017 and sentenced to prison for corruption and abuse of power in 2018.
Yoon is now the second president to be ousted by the Constitutional Court – and the shortest-serving elected leader in the nation’s democratic history.
The swift series of events marks a dramatic decline for Yoon, who was once touted as a key ally by former US President Joe Biden. During a White House state dinner in 2023, Yoon stood as the honored guest and sung Don McLean’s “American Pie” to a delighted audience.
Yoon’s serenade was meant to showcase his easy rapport with Washington, reinforcing Seoul’s strategic ties with the US. His critics, however, saw the moment as an odd distraction from pressing domestic concerns.
Back home, he clashed fiercely with the opposition, who overwhelmingly won midterm elections and used parliament to impeach key cabinet members and hold up legislation. It was this gridlock that Yoon used to try to justify his fateful decree.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
