South Korea’s Constitutional Court unanimously voted on Friday to formally unseat the country’s impeached president, Yoon Suk Yeol, ending months-long political uncertainty in the Asian nation.
Yoon, 64, was suspended by lawmakers over his December 3 attempt to subvert civilian rule, which saw armed soldiers deployed to parliament. He was also arrested on insurrection charges as part of a separate criminal case.
The court’s decision followed the political battle between Mr Yoon and South Korean authorities after the National Assembly impeached the politician for declaring a short-lived martial law in December last year, which sent shockwaves worldwide.
Millions of Koreans watched the Constitutional Court hand down its verdict live on television, with the country’s main messaging app Kakao,Talk telli,ng AFP that some users were experiencing delays due to a sudden surge in traffic.
“Given the serious negative impact and far-reaching consequences of the respondent’s constitutional violations… (We) dismiss respondent President Yoon Suk Yeol,” acting court President Moon Hyung-bae said while delivering the ruling.
In a ruling on Friday, eight justices of South Korea’s top court unanimously endorsed the decision of the Korean National Assembly to impeach Mr Yoon, which was the final piece of the puzzle needed to complete the permanent removal of the politician from office following his initial impeachment in a parliamentary vote on December 14.
By law, the court needs at least six justices to formally dismiss a president impeached by the National Assembly.
In the eight-justice court, Mr Yoon needed just three justices on his side to survive the parliamentary impeachment and regain office.
The ruling will finally provide some clarity on the country’s political situation for the first time since December last year, with the next action being to conduct a new national election within the next 60 days to elect a new president.
“It has been a great honour for me to work for the country,” Mr Yoon said in a statement released through his lawyers following the court’s decision. “I thank those who supported and cheered me despite my shortcomings. I am regretful and sorry that I could not live up to your expectations.”
Meanwhile, Mr Yoon still faces criminal insurrection charges over the imposition of martial law in a separate trial that started in February of this year.
He was formally arrested on those charges in January and was held for 52 days before a court ordered his release from detention last month.
Yoon’s removal, which is effective immediately, triggers fresh presidential elections, which must be held within 60 days. Authorities will announce a date in the coming days.
Yoon is the second South Korean leader to be impeached by the court after Park Geun-hye in 2017.
After weeks of tense hearings, judges spent more than a month deliberating the case, while public unrest swelled.
Police raised the security alert to the highest possible level on Friday. Officers encircled the courthouse with a ring of vehicles and stationed special operations teams in the vicinity.
Anti-Yoon protesters gathered outdoors to watch a live broadcast of the verdict, cheering and holding hands. When Yoon’s removal was announced, they erupted into wild cheers, with some bursting into tears.
“When the dismissal was finally declared, the cheers were so loud it felt like the rally was being swept away,” Kim Min-ji, a 25-year-old anti-Yoon protester, told AFP.
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“We cried tears and shouted that we, the citizens, had won!”
Yoon, who defended his attempt to subvert civilian rule as necessary to root out “anti-state forces”, still commands the backing of extreme supporters.
Outside his residence, his supporters shouted and swore, with some bursting into tears as the verdict was announced.
Outside the court, AFP reporters heard Yoon supporters shouting threats that they wanted to kill the judges, who decided unanimously to uphold Yoon’s impeachment, and have been given additional security protection by police.
Yoon’s actions “violate the core principles of the rule of law and democratic governance”, the judges said in their ruling.
Yoon sending armed soldiers to parliament in a bid to prevent lawmakers from voting down his decree “violated the political neutrality of the armed forces”.
He deployed troops for “political purposes”, the judges added.
“In the end, the respondent’s unconstitutional and illegal acts are a betrayal of the people’s trust and constitute a serious violation of the law that cannot be tolerated,” they ruled.
Opposition party lawmakers clapped their hands as the verdict was announced, calling it “historic”, while lawmakers from Yoon’s party filed out of the courtroom.
This year, at least two staunch Yoon supporters have died after self-immolating in protest of the leader’s impeachment.
The decision shows “first and foremost the resilience of South Korean democracy”, Byunghwan Son, professor at George Mason University, told AFP.
“The very fact that the system did not collapse suggests that the Korean democracy can survive even the worst challenge against it — a coup attempt.”
Portraits of Yoon will be taken down from military offices Friday, Yonhap reported. According to defence ministry regulations, a photo of the country’s commander-in-chief must be displayed at their offices.