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Associated Press

Park Chan-kyong

South Korea’s Constitutional Court will rule on Friday on whether to formally dismiss or reinstate impeached President Yoon Suk-yeol – a decision that either way is likely to deepen domestic divisions.
The court has been deliberating Yoon’s political fate after he was impeached in December over his brief imposition of martial law that has triggered a massive political crisis.
Millions of people have rallied around the country to support or denounce Yoon. Police said they would mobilise all available personnel to preserve order and respond to acts of vandalism, arson and assault.
The Constitutional Court said in a brief statement on Tuesday that it would issue its ruling at 11am on Friday and that it would be broadcast live.

The opposition-controlled liberal National Assembly voted to impeach Yoon soon after he imposed martial law on December 3. In addition to the Constitutional Court’s ruling on his impeachment, Yoon was indicted in January on criminal rebellion charges.
If the Constitutional Court removes Yoon from office, South Korea must hold an election within two months for a new president. If the court overturns his impeachment, Yoon would immediately return to his presidential duties.
At the heart of the matter is Yoon’s decision to send hundreds of troops and police officers to the National Assembly after imposing martial law. Yoon has insisted that he aimed to maintain order, but some military and military officials testified Yoon ordered them to drag out lawmakers to frustrate a floor vote on his decree and detain his political opponents.


Yoon argues that he did not intend to maintain martial law for long, and he only wanted to highlight what he called the “wickedness” of the main liberal opposition Democratic Party, which obstructed his agenda, impeached senior officials and slashed his budget bill. During his martial law announcement, he called the assembly “a den of criminals” and “anti-state forces”.
By law, a president has the right to declare martial law in wartime or other emergency situations, but the Democratic Party and its supporters say South Korea was not in such a situation.
The impeachment motion accused Yoon of suppressing National Assembly activities, attempting to detain politicians and others and undermining peace in violation of the constitution and other laws. Yoon has said he had no intention of disrupting National Assembly operations and detaining anyone.
Martial law lasted only six hours because lawmakers managed to enter the assembly and vote to strike down his decree unanimously. No violence erupted, but live television footage showing armed soldiers arriving at the assembly invoked painful memories of past military-backed dictatorships. It was the first time for South Korea to be placed under martial law since 1980.
Law Professor Lim Ji-bong of Sogang University said the Constitutional Court was widely expected to deliver a unanimous ruling to remove Yoon, citing his “lack of will to safeguard the constitution”.
In legal terms, it is unthinkable for the Constitutional Court to reach any conclusion other than dismissing Yoon
Lim Ji-bong, law professor
“In legal terms, it is unthinkable for the Constitutional Court to reach any conclusion other than dismissing Yoon,” he said.
Lim criticised the court for delaying its decision because of “political considerations”, and alleged that Yoon and the ruling conservative party had exerted intense pressure to secure a favourable verdict.
South Korea’s constitution states that “the president shall have the responsibility and duty to safeguard the independence, territorial integrity and continuity” of the country. But Lim said Yoon directly violated this principle when he deployed martial law troops to seize control of both the National Assembly and the National Election Commission on the night of his decree.
He further accused Yoon of repeatedly defying a court-issued arrest warrant, surrounding himself with armed security forces and inciting far-right agitators to break into a local criminal court that had authorised his arrest.
Choi Jin, head of the Institute for Presidential Leadership, welcomed the announcement of the verdict date.
Markets reacted positively, with stock prices rebounding and the sliding won recovering some of its lost value as political uncertainty eased.

Regardless of the ruling, Choi predicted mass protests from both pro-Yoon and anti-Yoon groups in response to the court’s decision.
“The Constitutional Court’s ruling comes late, as Yoon – who spent 27 years as a prosecutor – went all-in to fight for his position, and the ruling People Power Party struggled to tilt the verdict in his favour,” Choi said.
Earlier public surveys showed a majority of South Koreans supported Yoon’s impeachment. But after his impeachment, pro-Yoon rallies have grown sharply, with many conservatives fed up with what they call the Democratic Party’s excessive offensive on the already embattled Yoon administration.
Yoon was released from prison on March 8, after a Seoul district court cancelled his arrest and allowed him to stand his criminal trial without being detained. Ten top military and police officials have also been arrested and indicted over their roles in the martial law enactment.


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South Korea’s impeached president to learn his fate on Friday

Yoon Suk-yeol attends a hearing of his impeachment trial at the Constitutional Court in Seoul in February. Photo: AFP

Police officers stand guard at the Constitutional Court in Seoul on Monday. Photo: Yonhap/EPA-EFE

Supporters of Yoon attend a street rally in Seoul on Saturday. Since his impeachment, pro-Yoon rallies have grown in South Korea. Photo: AFP

Claims of plot to reinstate impeached president Yoon rock South Korea

A protester wearing a mask of Yoon Suk-yeol performs on a street in Seoul during a demonstration against South Korea’s impeached president on Saturday. Photo: AFP

Supporters of Yoon Suk-yeol attend a street rally in Seoul on Saturday. Photo: AFP

Han Duck-soo, South Korea’s prime minister and current acting president, speaks during a meeting in Seoul on Thursday. Photo: Yonhap/EPA-EFE

Anxieties mount over South Korea’s democracy amid wait for verdict on Yoon

A protester wearing a mask of impeached South Korean president Yoon Suk-yeol at a rally in Seoulon Saturday. Photo: EPA-EFE

Farmers with tractor-laden trucks stage a rally in Seoul on Tuesday calling for Yoon to step down. Photo: AP

Lee Jae-myung, leader of main opposition Democratic Party, addresses a rally in Seoul on March 1 calling for Yoon’s removal from office. Photo: Yonhap/EPA-EFE

Yoon arrives in front of his official residence after being released from detention on March 8. Photo: Yonhap/EPA-EFE

Martial law, memes and mayhem: the rise and fall of South Korea’s Yoon Suk-yeol

A placard of impeached South Korea President Yoon Suk-yeol with horns is seen on an installation during a rally against Yoon near his residence in Seoul on January 5. Photo: AFP

A screenshot captured from a video released on Wednesday shows South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol delivering a speech. Photo: Xinhua

Yoon Suk-yeol (second from left) and his wife Kim Keon-hee (second from right) during a ceremony marking the 104th anniversary of the March 1st Independence Movement Day against Japanese colonial rule, in Seoul on March 1, 2023. Photo: AFP

People attend a rally supporting the arrest of South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol near the presidential residence in Seoul on Wednesday. Photo: Xinhua

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If the Constitutional Court removes Yoon Suk-yeol from office, a fresh presidential election must be held within two months


If the Constitutional Court removes Yoon Suk-yeol from office, a fresh presidential election must be held within two months.


Yoon Suk-yeol

Korean peninsula

Protests around the world

South Korea’s impeached president to learn his fate on Friday

If the Constitutional Court removes Yoon Suk-yeol from office, a fresh presidential election must be held within two months

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