[From the Scene] Cheers erupt as parliament votes to impeach Yoon

As National Assembly Speaker Woo Won-sik read out the results of the impeachment vote Saturday, the crowds filling Seoul's Yeouido district erupted in celebration. Car horns blared through the streets as tens of thousands of protesters, who had gathered throughout the day, broke into jubilant cheers and singing. "I declare that the impeachment motion has passed – 204 in favor, 85 against, 8 abstentions, three null votes," Woo said, confirming the passage of the motion to imp

Social AffairsDec. 14, 2024

Who could be South Korea's next leader?

President Yoon Suk Yeol’s term is set to end on May 9, 2027, but with the prospect of his early departure from office, that timeline is likely to be moved up significantly. This scenario became more likely after the National Assembly on Saturday voted to impeach him, suspending him from his duties while the Constitutional Court reviews whether to uphold or dismiss his removal from office. While there is a chance, theoretically, that Yoon is reinstated through the trial, South Korea’s

PoliticsDec. 14, 2024

PM issues emergency directive, raises military alert level

Prime Minister Han Duck-soo issued emergency directives to Cabinet members and raised the nationwide military alert levels on Saturday, soon after the National Assembly passed a motion to impeach President Yoon Suk Yeol and suspended him from power. Han, now acting president, was scheduled to preside over a Cabinet meeting to review pressing issues across the economy, national security and public safety later in the evening. The meeting was reportedly set to discuss the direction of state affair

Social AffairsDec. 14, 2024

The rocky road ahead for post-Yoon ruling party

The National Assembly voted to impeach President Yoon Suk Yeol on Saturday, after the first motion had failed a week prior when it was denied a quorum in a mass boycott by the ruling party. The Assembly's turnaround was driven by a rising minority within the People Power Party that chose to turn against Yoon over the past week. In the past week, more clues into the night of martial law emerged one by one. Key commanders, testifying before the Assembly, said they received orders to arrest po

PoliticsDec. 14, 2024

Ex-DCC chief arrested over role in martial law plot

The prosecution's special investigation team on Saturday arrested three-star Army Gen. Yeo In-hyung, the former chief of the Defense Counterintelligence Command, over his alleged involvement in impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol's Dec. 3 martial law declaration. Yeo is accused of playing a key role in the martial law plan, including participating in discussions to plan the declaration. His charges include deploying DCC personnel to the National Assembly in Yeouido, Seoul and the Nationa

PoliticsDec. 14, 2024

[From the Scene] Yoon supporters at Gwanghwamun call impeachment vote ‘invalid’

When a speaker holding the microphone said, "This is invalid! President Yoon Suk Yeol, stay strong. We will surely protect you, Mr. President!" the crowd of some 40,000 Yoon supporters gathered at Gwanghwamun erupted in cheers. They shouted that they would gather next week as well. This came moments after the impeachment motion against Yoon passed with a vote of 204 in favor, 85 against, 3 abstentions and 8 invalid votes. The country’s Constitutional Court will now deliberate on

Social AffairsDec. 14, 2024

Yoon Suk Yeol says he will never succumb to impeachment

President Yoon Suk Yeol said Saturday that he would never succumb to the threat of impeachment, after the National Assembly voted 204-85 in favor of a motion that could eventually dethrone the incumbent president. "I will never surrender," he said in his fifth address to the nation in the past two weeks since his imposition of martial law on Dec. 3. "I will cherish any reprimand, encouragement and support you show to me, and I will do my best for the country until the end," h

PoliticsDec. 14, 2024

Ball now in Constitutional Court for Yoon's impeachment

  Acting Chief Justice Moon Hyung-bae said Saturday that the Constitutional Court will "conduct a swift and fair trial" after a motion for the impeachment of Yoon Suk Yeol was passed by the National Assembly the same day. A meeting of the court's justices will be held at 10 a.m. on Monday, he said. Attention now turns to the proceedings, which could face difficulties in part because it is short of a full complement of justices. Only six of its nine positions are currently filled.

PoliticsDec. 14, 2024

At least 12 ruling party lawmakers back impeachment bill

The second parliamentary attempt to impeach President Yoon Suk Yeol passed Saturday, with at least 12 lawmakers from the ruling People Power Party supporting the motion. Before the vote, seven People Power Party members had announced they would back the impeachment, despite fierce opposition from the party's mainstream. The vote took place amid escalating divisions within the party, with conflicts between the pro-Han Dong-hoon, the party chairman, and pro-Yoon Suk Yeol factions. The result

Social AffairsDec. 14, 2024

The 12-day political turmoil that rocked South Korea: A timeline

South Korea experienced a series of tumultuous political events after President Yoon Suk Yeol’s short-lived imposition of martial law on Dec. 3, resulting in two impeachment votes to remove the president from his seat of power. From the political parties’ stances after the first impeachment vote, to the multiple arrests of key individuals accused of involvement in the martial law declaration, the political upheaval appeared to be slowly but surely gaining momentum towards Yoon’

PoliticsDec. 14, 2024

Prime Minister Han to receive full presidential privileges

Prime Minister Han Duck-soo has stepped into the role of acting president following the National Assembly’s impeachment of President Yoon Suk Yeol. Han now carries not only the powers of the presidency, but also its full security measures and ceremonial protocols. Under South Korean law, acting presidents are granted the same protections and privileges as elected presidents. As a result, Han will now be accompanied by a full security detail managed by the Presidential Security Service. A s

PoliticsDec. 14, 2024

Young women lead anti-Yoon Suk Yeol protests

Over the last two weeks, women in their 20s and 30s, who had been regarded as apolitical, emerged at the forefront of protests demanding President Yoon Suk Yeol's impeachment escalated. The protests began immediately after Yoon's declaration of martial law on Dec. 3. After the National Assembly rejected the first impeachment motion on Dec. 7, public anger intensified. That day, protests peaked with an estimated 325,000 people gathered near the National Assembly in Yeouido, Seoul, based

Social AffairsDec. 14, 2024

Yoon impeachment not an endorsement of the opposition: observers

  In a historic vote on Dec. 14, South Korea's National Assembly passed the impeachment motion against President Yoon Suk Yeol, marking a seismic moment in the country's political history. While the passage indicates that some ruling People Power Party members joined the opposition, the decision is widely seen as a condemnation of Yoon's controversial actions surrounding the Dec. 3 martial law declaration, not an endorsement of the opposition, according to experts and observers. To meet the

PoliticsDec. 14, 2024

Prosecution, police clash over control of Yoon investigation

South Korea’s two main law-enforcement bodies are vying to seize control over the investigation into President Yoon Suk Yeol’s martial law declaration on Dec. 3, with both prosecution and police conducting simultaneous investigations, rather than cooperating. On Dec. 8, prosecutors proposed that the police form a joint investigative team, but the police rejected the idea, citing “credibility and fairness” as reasons. Police also asserted they have jurisdiction over the in

Social AffairsDec. 14, 2024

The short-lived rise and fall of Yoon Suk Yeol

When Yoon Suk Yeol, 63, won South Korea's top job in 2022, some anticipated that he would heed the will of the people, tackle class inequality and build a country that could make everyone proud, as he vowed in his victory speech. Yet, throughout the years, the conservative leader has fallen short. Despite diplomatic initiatives that improved relations with Japan and the US, and bold moves to address the nation's shortage of doctors in key areas, he couldn't stop his approval ratings from sliding

PoliticsDec. 14, 2024

South Korean president impeached: 4 things to know

South Korea has moved closer to removing President Yoon Suk Yeol from office, with the National Assembly passing a bill initiating the impeachment process. What does this mean and what will happen next? 1. Steps to stability President Yoon Suk Yeol, who plunged the nation into shock with his doomed martial law attempt on Dec. 3, has been suspended from his executive duties immediately. This marks a significant step toward restoring stability. Prime Minister Han Duck-soo is to be the acting h

Social AffairsDec. 14, 2024

Assembly ejects Yoon from power after 12-day political turmoil

The opposition-led National Assembly on Saturday approved a motion to impeach President Yoon Suk Yeol on charges of insurrection tied to his botched declaration of martial law on Dec. 3, making him the third South Korean leader to be suspended from his duties by the parliament. With the impeachment resolution delivered to Yoon at 7:24 p.m., he was suspended from office immediately. The Constitutional Court will decide whether to reinstate or formally oust him following a deliberation process t

PoliticsDec. 14, 2024

Impeachments, coups and deaths: Korea's troubled presidency

President Yoon Suk Yeol has officially become the third South Korean president to face an impeachment trial, following the National Assembly’s passage Saturday of a motion to initiate the process for his removal from office. While Yoon is widely seen as having brought disgrace upon himself due to his ill-fated martial law attempt on Dec. 3, he now joins a long list of troubled Korean presidents. Here are six presidents whose careers have been ended in disgrace or tragedy. 1. Park Geun-

Social AffairsDec. 14, 2024

Yoon suspended amid impeachment. What’s next?

It is now up to the Constitutional Court. Following the National Assembly’s approval of the impeachment motion against President Yoon Suk Yeol on Saturday, his presidential powers were suspended immediately. Prime Minister Han Duck-soo is now in charge as acting president of South Korea, although he is similarly facing investigation for his alleged role and participation in a Cabinet meeting held shortly before Yoon's imposition of martial law on Dec. 3. The Constitutional Court mus

PoliticsDec. 14, 2024

How powerful will South Korea's acting president be?

With incumbent President Yoon Suk Yeol suspended after the National Assembly voted to impeach him, Prime Minister Han Duck-soo will take over as acting president for up to six months. Under Article 71 of the South Korean Constitution, if the president is deemed unable to perform duties for any reason, the prime minister shall assume the powers and duties of the incumbent president. Han's role as acting president started 7:24 p.m. Saturday evening, as soon as a copy of the impeachment resolu

PoliticsDec. 14, 2024