04.04.2025 08:01
In South Korea, the Constitutional Court ruled that President Yoon Suk Yeol's declaration of martial law on December 3, 2024, was unconstitutional, leading to his removal from office.
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According to a report by Yonhap, the Constitutional Court stated that Yoon's declaration of martial law did not meet the "national crisis" conditions specified in the constitution, and therefore ruled it unconstitutional.
REMOVAL FROM OFFICE APPROVED
The court also noted that Yoon violated laws by sending soldiers to the National Assembly to prevent the rejection of the decision following his declaration of martial law. Thus, the Constitutional Court accepted the National Assembly's impeachment request and approved Yoon's removal from office due to his declaration of martial law.
ELECTION TO BE HELD WITHIN 60 DAYS
Following the impeachment decision, Yoon was immediately removed from office, and the country will hold an election for the presidency within 60 days.
WHAT HAPPENED?
President Yoon Suk Yeol declared martial law on the night of December 3, 2024, citing that the opposition was involved in "anti-state activities," but he retreated after the assembly voted to lift the decision and it was approved by the Cabinet.
In the vote held by the National Assembly on December 14, 2024, Yoon, whose impeachment was requested, was temporarily removed from office until the Constitutional Court made a decision regarding him.
Yoon, who was detained on January 15 as part of a judicial investigation into the declaration of martial law outside of the impeachment case, became the first president in the country's history to be detained.
On January 19, Yoon was arrested on charges of "leading a rebellion" and "abuse of power" by the Seoul Western District Court, and the South Korean Prosecutor's Office prepared an indictment against Yoon on these charges on January 26.
Yoon was released on March 8 after the Seoul Central District Court revoked his detention and allowed him to be tried without physical detention.
HOW WILL THE IMPEACHMENT PROCESS WORK?
In South Korea, for the impeachment motion submitted to the National Assembly for the removal of the president, it must be approved by two-thirds of the assembly. For the removal of other politicians, a simple majority is sufficient.
After the impeachment vote, the impeachment request is referred to the Constitutional Court. The court, which holds hearings to listen to and evaluate evidence regarding the impeachment process, has a period of 6 months to approve or reject the impeachment request. If 6 out of the 9 judges in the court approve the decision, the leader is removed from office. Currently, there are 8 judges serving in the court.
In the vote held by the South Korean National Assembly on December 14, a qualified majority was achieved, and Yoon's impeachment was requested.
Yoon, who was decided to be impeached by the Constitutional Court after the trial, became the second president to be removed from office in this way after former President Park Geun-hye, who was impeached in 2017.
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