South Korean court insists on impeachment by President Yuen, stripping him of his post

South Korea’s Constitutional Court decided on Friday to expel President Yoon Suk Yeol, an official who insisted on parliament’s impeachment motion for brief martial law against him last year, which has triggered the country’s worst political crisis in decades.

According to the country’s constitution, with Yoon’s removal, the presidential election must be held within 60 days.

Prime Minister Han Duck-SOO will continue to serve as acting president until the new president is launched.
The political unrest for months of rule has shrouded efforts to deal with the new administration of U.S. President Donald Trump amid slowing growth.

In addition, Yoon, 64, faces a criminal trial on uprising charges. The embattled leader became the first incumbent South Korean president to be arrested on January 15, but was released in March after the court canceled the arrest warrant.

The crisis was triggered by Yoon’s Dec. 3 announcement of martial law, which he said needed to root “anti-state” elements, while opposition Democrats allegedly abused their parliamentary majority, which he said was destroying. Six hours later, Yoon canceled the decree after MPs violated security forces’ efforts to block the parliament and voted to reject it. Yin once said he had never intended to impose emergency military rule completely and tried to downplay the consequences, saying no one was injured. Months of protests have been followed, and it is not clear that the political chaos caused by Yoon’s martial law declaration will now be eased by a court ruling.