S.Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol ousted; new presidential election coming

South Korea’s Constitutional Court permanently removed President Yoon Suk Yeol from office on Friday, making him the country’s second president in Korean history to leave office through impeachment.

Eight justices of the Constitutional Court unanimously voted to unseat Yoon for violating "the constitutional order” in his declaration of martial law on Dec. 3, Acting Chief Justice Moon Hyung-bae said in a ruling nationally televised live.

Moon added that Yoon violated his duty as the nation’s commander-in-chief when he sent troops to the National Assembly.

The Parliament passed an impeachment motion in mid-December, accusing Yoon of violating the constitution and other laws by declaring martial law without justifiable reasons, suppressing parliamentary activities, attempting to detain politicians and undermining peace across the country.

Following the ruling, Yoon was immediately removed from office, becoming the second president in Korean history to leave office through impeachment, after former President Park Geun-hye in 2017.

By law, the country must elect a new president within 60 days, which is by June 3.

The country's financial markets recouped earlier losses on Friday after the court's decision. The main Kospi index, which fell more than 1.5% at its opening, closed down 0.9% at 2,465.42, while the junior Kosdaq index gained 0.6% to end at 687.39. 

The Korean won has gained strength against the US dollar, trading at 1,441.00 on Friday afternoon versus Thursday's close of 1,452.20.

SOCIAL UNREST, POLITICAL TURMOIL 

The ruling comes four months after Korea’s Parliament impeached Yoon on Dec. 14, marking the most protracted impeachment process of a Korean president by the court.

After the Parliament's decision, it took 91 days for former President Park to be permanently removed from office.

Domestic divides have deepened during the longer-than-expected deliberation process, experts said, forecasting that Korean society will continue to navigate choppy waters for a while.

Yoon’s failed attempt to impose martial law angered millions of Koreans, with tens of thousands of people protesting in front of the National Assembly and across the country, calling for a Constitutional Court ruling against him as early as possible.

Yoon’s loyalists have also taken to the streets in the past four months, demanding Yoon's return to power.

Following Friday's court decision, Prime Minister Han Duck-soo will carry out his duty as the country's acting president until Yoon's successor is chosen. He returned to office in late March after the same court overturned Han’s impeachment. 

NOT OVER YET

Friday’s ruling, however, is not the end of Yoon’s legal troubles.

When the National Assembly passed the impeachment motion against Yoon in mid-December, lawmakers accused him of “betraying the public trust and abusing his constitutional authority to declare martial law, mobilizing government, military and police forces for an armed insurrection.”

In January, Yoon became the country’s first sitting president to be arrested on rebellion charges connected to his imposition of martial law.

He was released in early March but still faces criminal trials for the insurrection charges.

Hours after he was removed from office on Friday, Yoon apologized to the nation.

“It has been a great honor for me to work for the country,” Yoon said in a statement released through his lawyers. “I thank those who supported and cheered me on despite my shortcomings. I am regretful and sorry that I could not live up to your expectations.”

The impeached president did not comment on the Constitutional Court’s decision.

(Updated with Yoon's comment after the court's ruling and the closing of the financial markets.)

Write to Sookyung Seo and In-Soo Nam at skseo@hankyung.com

Jennifer Nicholson-Breen edited this article.