Asia
South Korean president Yoon impeached: What happens next?
The Constitutional Court unanimously upheld President Yoon Suk Yeol’s impeachment on Friday, following his declaration of limited martial law in December.
The decision, read by Chief Justice Moon Hyung-bae and broadcast live on television, took immediate effect. The country must hold an early presidential election within 60 days to choose Yoon’s successor, with the election expected to take place on June 3.
Yoon was impeached by the National Assembly in mid-December for violating the Constitution and laws by declaring martial law on December 3, deploying troops to the opposition-controlled National Assembly to prevent lawmakers from voting on the decree, and ordering the arrest of politicians.
Chief Justice Moon stated, “The negative impacts on the constitutional order and the implications of the respondent’s violation of the laws are very grave. The benefits of protecting the Constitution by removing the respondent from office outweigh the national losses incurred by the impeachment.”
The decision concluded a contentious four-month period that began with Yoon’s surprise declaration of martial law, which significantly damaged the country’s political, economic, and social fabric.
In a statement released by his legal team, Yoon apologized to the public for failing to meet their expectations and thanked them for their support.
“My dear citizens, it has been a great honor for me to work for the Republic of Korea,” he said. “I will always pray for the beloved Republic of Korea and for you.”
What offenses did the case involve?
The case centered on whether Yoon violated the law by committing five key actions: declaring martial law, preparing a martial law decree, deploying troops to the National Assembly, raiding the National Election Commission, and attempting to arrest politicians.
The court agreed with all charges, including that he did not meet the legal requirements for declaring martial law. According to the Constitution, a president can declare martial law during wartime or an equivalent national emergency.
Yoon justified his actions by accusing the main opposition party of paralyzing state affairs by repeatedly accusing officials in his administration and attempting to cut the state budget.
The court rejected this claim.
Chief Justice Moon stated, “He neglected his duty to protect the Constitution by undermining the authority of a constitutional institution and infringing upon the fundamental human rights of the people through the mobilization of soldiers and police.”
He added, “The respondent’s actions that violated the Constitution and the laws are a betrayal of the public’s trust and, from the perspective of protecting the Constitution, constitute a grave violation of the law that cannot be tolerated.”
With eight justices currently on the bench, at least six justices had to agree to approve the impeachment motion.
The key issue was not only whether Yoon violated the laws but also whether this violation was serious enough to warrant impeachment.
Yoon did not attend the court for the decision.
How did the ruling and opposition parties react to the decision?
Acting President and Prime Minister Han Duck-soo addressed the nation, pledging to do his best to manage the upcoming elections to ensure a smooth transition to the next administration.
The ruling People Power Party stated that it “humbly accepts” the court’s decision, while the main opposition Democratic Party (DP) hailed it as a “victory for the people.”
DP leader Lee Jae-myung, seen as a leading candidate in the next presidential election, read a separate statement from the National Assembly.
“The great people have reclaimed the great democratic republic, the Republic of Korea,” he said. “Together with the people, we will restore the destroyed livelihoods of the people, peace, the economy, and democracy with a great spirit of unity.”
According to a Gallup Korea poll conducted from Tuesday to Thursday on 1,001 adults, 52% wanted an opposition candidate to win the next election, while 37% supported a candidate from the ruling party.
Lee received the most support as the next head of state, with 34%, followed by Labor Minister Kim Moon-soo from the ruling bloc with 9%. The poll had a margin of error of ±3.1% at a 95% confidence level.
According to Yonhap news agency, the decision led to sharp divisions among Yoon’s supporters and opponents.
Outside the official presidential residence in central Seoul, anti-Yoon protesters gathered, holding signs that read, “Impeach Yoon Suk Yeol.”
A few meters away, a group of Yoon’s supporters expressed their shock. Some angrily hurled abuse, while others fell to the ground and wept loudly.
Second president to be impeached
Thirty-eight days was the longest time the court has taken to issue a decision on a president’s impeachment after the final hearing.
In the past cases of former Presidents Roh Moo-hyun and Park Geun-hye, the court had taken 14 days and 11 days, respectively.
It took 111 days from the day the impeachment motion against Yoon was submitted to the court on December 14.
In addition to the impeachment case, Yoon is also being tried on charges of inciting insurrection through the martial law proposal, a crime punishable by a maximum sentence of life imprisonment or death.
Yoon, who was arrested in January and held in a detention center until early March due to these charges, was released following a court decision that his detention was invalid.
Yoon, who rose from a senior prosecutor to president in three years, became the country’s second president to be impeached.
Yoon, 64, followed in the footsteps of former President Park Geun-hye, who was impeached in 2017 when the Constitutional Court upheld her impeachment over a corruption scandal.
Yoon’s journey
Before reaching the country’s highest office, Yoon began his career as a prosecutor in 1994. He rose to prominence by leading an investigation team into Park’s corruption scandal, ultimately leading to Park’s impeachment and subsequent imprisonment.
In 2019, he was appointed as the country’s top prosecutor by then-President Moon Jae-in but clashed with the administration as he pursued investigations into the family members of former Justice Minister Cho Kuk.
Faced with increasing pressure from the Moon administration, Yoon resigned from his position in 2021. Shortly thereafter, Yoon entered politics and won the 2022 presidential election as the candidate of the conservative People Power Party.
Yoon’s term was marked by conflicts with the National Assembly, which was dominated by the main opposition Democratic Party. Yoon exercised his presidential veto power against 25 bills passed by the National Assembly.
Tensions with the DP peaked in early December when the main opposition introduced motions to impeach the country’s top auditor and a senior prosecutor, leading to Yoon’s declaration of martial law on December 3, which ultimately led to Yoon’s downfall.
The military operations chiefs of India and Pakistan will meet today to discuss the next steps for the nuclear-armed neighboring countries, following a ceasefire along the border that has seen the most severe clashes in approximately 30 years.
No explosions or missile attacks were reported overnight following initial ceasefire violations. The Indian army announced that Sunday marked the first peaceful night on the border in recent days, despite some schools remaining closed.
The Saturday ceasefire in the Himalayan region, announced by US President Donald Trump, followed four days of intense clashes and diplomatic initiatives.
A senior Indian army official stated that the Indian army had sent a “hotline” message to Pakistan on Sunday regarding the previous day’s ceasefire violations, informing New Delhi of its intention to respond to such incidents.
A Pakistan army spokesperson, however, maintained there were no violations.
The Indian Ministry of External Affairs announced on Saturday that the Directors-General of Military Operations from both sides would meet on Monday at 12:00 PM (06:30 GMT).
Pakistan did not comment on the meeting plans.
After relations deteriorated when India blamed Pakistan for an attack that resulted in the deaths of 26 tourists, the two former rival countries targeted each other’s military facilities with missiles and drones, leading to the deaths of dozens of civilians.
Pakistan denies the accusations and calls for an impartial investigation.
India announced on Wednesday that it had attacked nine “terror infrastructure” targets in Pakistan and Pakistan-controlled Kashmir, though Islamabad stated these were civilian targets.
While Islamabad thanked Washington for its role in securing the ceasefire, it welcomed Trump’s offer to mediate the Kashmir dispute with India. However, New Delhi did not comment on US involvement in the ceasefire or talks to be held in a neutral location.
India, maintaining that disputes with Pakistan should be resolved directly between the neighboring countries, rejected any third-party intervention.
Hindu-majority India and Muslim Pakistan govern parts of Kashmir in the Himalayan region but claim sovereignty over the entire territory.
India accuses Pakistan of being responsible for the insurgency that began in its part of Kashmir in 1989, but Pakistan maintains it only provides moral, political, and diplomatic support to Kashmiri separatists.
China’s export growth showed resilience in April, defying expectations that the effects of the trade war with the US would begin to be felt. According to statistics released by China’s customs administration on Friday, exports increased by 8.1% year-on-year in dollar terms.
This increase was below the 12.4% growth recorded in March. However, according to data released by the customs administration on Friday, this increase was well above the 1.9% growth forecast in a Reuters poll of economists.
Imports, meanwhile, fell for the third consecutive month, contracting by 0.2% last month.
Exports to the US fell by 21% last month, while imports from the US decreased by 13.8%.
Exports to China’s largest trading partners, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and the European Union, increased by 20.8% and 8.3% respectively.
The figures were released after Washington and Beijing entered a trade war.
US President Donald Trump last month implemented tariff increases of up to 145% on most products imported from China and said he would impose new tariffs even on low-value packages from the country. Beijing responded with a 125% tariff.
The two countries will begin trade talks in Geneva on Saturday. The US will be represented by Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Trade Representative Jamieson Greer, while China’s delegation will be led by Vice Premier He Lifeng, the country’s top economic official.
This will be the first high-level meeting between the two sides since January, when Chinese Vice President Han Zheng attended Trump’s inauguration ceremony. Bessent said the trade war was “unsustainable.”
During the five-day May Day holiday, Chinese spending increased by 8% year-on-year, reaching 180.27 billion yuan (approximately $25 billion), indicating that consumer activity remains vibrant.
An estimated 314 million domestic trips were made, marking a 6.4% increase compared to the previous year.
The May Day holiday, one of the country’s longest breaks, is closely watched as a barometer of Chinese consumer confidence.
China’s Ministry of Culture and Tourism recorded 314 million domestic trips during the holiday, a 6.5% increase, while the number of transactions using Weixin Pay, a popular payment app, rose by more than 10% year-on-year, with a notable surge in restaurant spending.
According to Reuters’ calculations based on official data, total spending per person during the five-day May holiday period, typically a busy time for family travel, increased by 1.5% to 574.1 yuan.
This figure remained below pre-pandemic levels, when spending per person was 603.4 yuan.
Consumption in the world’s second-largest economy has been hurt by a post-pandemic slowdown and a prolonged property crisis, with the effects of the US-China trade war expected to deepen these challenges.
Meanwhile, China’s services sector saw a slowdown in new order growth compared to March, according to a private sector survey released on Tuesday, due to uncertainty caused by US tariffs.
Despite stronger-than-expected economic growth in the first quarter, supported by government stimulus, the Chinese economy continues to face persistent deflationary risks.
The Caixin/S&P Global services purchasing managers’ index (PMI) fell to 50.7 from 51.9 in March, marking its lowest reading since September.
This aligns largely with the official survey, which showed services activity in China easing to 50.1 from 50.3 the previous month.
The Caixin services survey indicated that new business growth slowed to its weakest level since December 2022, although export orders saw some increase, partly linked to the recovery in tourism.
Zichun Huang, China economist at Capital Economics, said the drop in the Caixin PMI “provides further evidence that the trade war is weighing on economic activity in China, even beyond the manufacturing sector.”
Huang added, “While some caution is clearly warranted, we suspect firms are overstating how much damage US tariffs will do.”
Around 48% of China’s workforce was employed in the services sector in 2023, and the sector contributed 56.7% to total GDP last year. However, US President Donald Trump’s trade actions could hit the manufacturing sector and damage businesses’ hiring plans and consumer confidence.
Business sentiment in the services sector grew at its slowest pace since February 2020, with companies citing US tariffs as a major concern.
Service providers cut jobs for a second consecutive month to reduce costs, leading to an increase in backlogs of work and pushing the relevant indicator into expansionary territory for the first time this year.
Firms also lowered prices to attract customers despite high input costs.
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