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2mo ago

Impeached South Korean President Faces Criminal and Impeachment Trials Over Martial Law Declaration

Yoon Suk Yeol, accused of insurrection, attends hearings as the Constitutional Court nears a decision on his impeachment and possible removal from office.

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A protester wearing a mask of impeached South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol attends with his fellow protesters during a rally calling for Yoon to step down in front of the Constitutional Court in Seoul, South Korea, Wednesday, Feb. 19, 2025. The signs read "Impeach Yoon Suk Yeol quickly." (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)
A vehicle carrying South Korea's impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol is reflected on a convex traffic mirror as it leaves the Constitutional Court in Seoul, South Korea, February 18, 2025. REUTERS/Kim Hong-Ji

Overview

  • President Yoon Suk Yeol is the first sitting South Korean leader to face criminal prosecution, charged with insurrection for his brief declaration of martial law on December 3, 2024.
  • The Constitutional Court is deliberating whether to uphold Yoon's impeachment by the National Assembly, with a ruling expected in March that could remove him from office permanently.
  • Yoon's martial law decree, which lasted six hours, was declared unconstitutional by critics and was seen as an attempt to suppress opposition control of parliament and arrest lawmakers.
  • The criminal trial could lead to life imprisonment or the death penalty for Yoon, though South Korea has not carried out executions since 1997.
  • The political crisis has polarized the nation, with protests, legal challenges to the judiciary's impartiality, and heightened tensions between conservative and liberal factions.