S. Korean President Yoon ousted as court upholds impeachment

4/4/2025 16:55

South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol was ousted from office Friday as the constitutional court upheld a motion by the parliament to impeach Yoon over his short-lived martial law imposition last December.



Moon Hyung-bae, acting chief of the court, read a ruling on Yoon's impeachment, which was broadcast live nationwide, saying it was a unanimous decision of eight justices.



Moon said Yoon broke his duty of protecting the constitution as he damaged the constitutional institutions, such as the National Assembly, and violated the basic rights of people by mobilizing the military and the police.



Moon stressed that the benefit of protecting the constitution through Yoon's dismissal will overwhelmingly exceed the national loss from his dismissal.



Yoon declared an emergency martial law on the night of Dec. 3 last year, but it was revoked by the opposition-led National Assembly hours later.



Throughout the midnight hours of the botched martial law attempt, military helicopters landed at the National Assembly and hundreds of armed special forces troops broke into the parliamentary building.



By law, the ruling comes into force immediately after the reading, and a snap presidential election is required to be held within 60 days. The election is expected to fall in late May or early June.