South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol impeached after martial law ploy

Source: Washington Post

The South Korean National Assembly voted Saturday to impeach President Yoon Suk Yeol, forcing him to immediately hand over power to the prime minister following his short-lived attempt to impose martial law this month.

The hundreds of thousands of South Koreans waiting outside the National Assembly, many singing along to K-pop-style songs with ad-libbed lyrics calling for Yoon’s departure, erupted into cheering and crying when the verdict was announced.

But South Korea now enters a prolonged period of uncertainty: The Constitutional Court must decide whether to uphold the impeachment charges, a process that could take up to six months. If the court decides the legislature’s decision is constitutional, Yoon will be removed from office and a new presidential election will be held within 60 days.

Saturday’s vote was the National Assembly’s second attempt to oust Yoon. He survived the opposition parties’ first impeachment effort on Dec. 7, after lawmakers from his conservative People Power Party boycotted the vote.

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