Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol ousted from office after unanimous Constitutional Court ruling

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Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol ousted from office after unanimous Constitutional Court ruling

Published: 04 Apr. 2025, 11:25 Updated: 05 Apr. 2025, 00:24

SARAH KIM
[email protected]

Audio report: written by reporters, read by AI

President Yoon Suk Yeol, right, delivers his closing statement at the 11th and final hearing of his impeachment trial at the Constitutional Court in Jongno District, central Seoul, on Feb. 25. [CONSTITUTIONAL COURT]

In a historic ruling on Friday, the Constitutional Court upheld the National Assembly’s impeachment of President Yoon Suk Yeol for imposing martial law on Dec. 3.

Acting Chief Justice Moon Hyung-bae began reading the verdict around 11 a.m.

At 11:22 a.m. the Constitutional Court upheld Yoon's impeachment in an 8-0 unanimous vote.

Yoon was ousted from office the moment the verdict was decided. He became the second Korean president to be impeached and removed from office.

The eight Constitutional Court justices reached a verdict 111 days after the National Assembly, which is controlled by the liberal Democratic Party (DP), voted to impeach Yoon for declaring martial law on Dec. 3 last year.

Yoon was accused of illegally declaring martial law, attempting to unlawfully suspend all political activities, sending special forces to prevent lawmakers from overturning his decree, deploying troops to the National Election Commission and ordering the arrest of high-ranking politicians and judges.

The Constitutional Court, in turn, acknowledged on Friday all five grounds for impeachment by the National Assembly and concluded that there were serious unconstitutional and illegal acts, enough to justify Yoon’s removal.

The court said that Yoon had mobilized the military and police, undermining the National Assembly and other constitutional institutions, violating fundamental human rights and abandoning his duty to protect the Constitution.

The court determined that Yoon’s declaration of martial law was illegal, as there was no national emergency at the time of its imposition, violating constitutional requisites.

The court said that Yoon’s reasons, including alleged election fraud and the opposition’s impeachment motions against his government, didn’t justify a martial law decree.

Constitutional Court Acting Chief Justice Moon Hyung-bae reads the verdict on President Yoon Suk Yeol's fate at the court in central Seoul on April 4. [JOINT PRESS CORPS]

Moon said that Yoon has “violated the Constitution and the law by declaring martial law,” reprising the country’s history of abuse of martial law decrees dating back to military regimes, shocking people and “causing confusion in all areas of society, economy, politics and diplomacy.”

He stressed that the benefits of protecting the Constitution by impeaching Yoon surpasses the national loss incurred from ousting him.

Moon further called Yoon’s actions “a serious violation of the law that betrays the trust of the people.”

Yoon has denied the charges against him as he unprecedentedly for a sitting president appeared in person to defend himself in eight of 11 court hearings leading up to the verdict.

The prosecutor-turned-politician’s impeachment verdict was broadcast live as tens of thousands of people both supporting and rejecting his impeachment took to the streets of downtown Seoul, near the court and the presidential residence.

Shortly after the verdict was announced, presidential officials lowered the phoenix flag, symbolizing the presidential office, at the Yongsan presidential compound in central Seoul.

Yoon is expected to have to exit from the presidential residence in Hannam-dong, Yongsan District soon. In 2017, ex-President Park Geun-hye left the presidential residence after two days.

Park was impeached in late 2016 for abuse of power and corruption and ousted through a unanimous decision on March 10, 2017. This led to an early presidential election on May 9 that year.

Likewise, an election to choose Yoon’s successor will take place within 60 days, or June 3 at the latest.

Updated, April 4: Added more details on the verdict.

BY SARAH KIM [[email protected]]