A court in South Korea confided on Friday the accusation of President Yoon Suk Yeol, who officially brought him out of his failed imposition of martial law and prepared the stage for a new presidential election.
The brief statement of Yoon Martial Law and the subsequent political trial trial have divided deeply to South Korea, a key ally of the United States and one of the most vibrant democracies of Asia. The demonstrations for and against the elimination of the position of the conservative leader have been regularly held, and the authorities had locked the court before the decision in advance of the possible violence.
Political agitation has also set aside South Korea while dealing with the steep American tariffs imposed by President Donald Trump, as well as the growing military cooperation between the rival Korea del Norte and Russia.
The eight judges in the Constitutional Court unanimously failed against Yoon, 64, finding him guilty in all positions. The decision, which was broadcast live and cannot be appealed, means a choice for Yoon’s successor that must be held within 60 days.
In a statement after the ruling, Yoon said it had been “a great honor” to serve South Korea.
“I am deeply grateful to all of you who supported me and encouraged me, despite my many deficiencies,” he said. “I’m very sorry and I am disconsolate that I could not meet your expectations.”
While calling him “deeply unfortunate,” Yoon People Power Party said he accepted the decision of the court “with gravity and humility.”
“We firmly believe that respecting this decision is the way to defend democracy and the rule of law,” said legislator Kwon Young-Se, the interim leader of the party, who added that “under any circumstances there should be no violence or extreme actions.”
Yoon, who was not in court for the ruling, but in his presidential residence in Seoul, the capital, will now move to his private home and will continue with a criminal trial separated by insurrection charges, one of the few crimes for which the presidents of South Korea have no immunity.
The political crisis began on December 3 when Yoon issued an order of the Surprise Martial Law, citing the threats of the “antistatal forces” and accusing the Parliament controlled by the opposition of paralyzing the Government. The night order included the censorship of the media and the prohibition of all political activities, and was quickly followed by the arrival of hundreds of soldiers and police officers in Parliament.
The legislators who exceeded the security cords to enter the building voted to reject Yoon’s order, which rescinds six hours after it was issued. Yoon was accused by legislators on December 14, and the arguments in his trial trial ended at the end of February.
The Constitutional Court said Friday that Yoon had violated the law by sending troops to the National Assembly to prevent legislators from blocking their order. He also said that his complaints, including the foundationless claims of electoral fraud, did not constitute a national crisis that had justified the martial law.
Issues such as government paralysis and potential electoral fraud “must be resolved through appropriate channels, not deploying military forces,” the judges said.
Yoon’s martial law order, the first of South Korea in more than 40 years, had deeply shaken the country of 50 million people, which passed decades under military-authoritarian domain.
The ruling that defends his political trial “represents an adherence to the rule of law,” said Jean H. Lee, an attached member and expert in the northeast of Asia in the research organization of the East-West Center in Honolulu.
“This was really a moment of basin for South Korea and for its democracy,” he said in a telephone interview. “Because it was very clear since the judge was reading the decision that they were not going to let the partisan policy that have eclipsed all this terrible experience stained or influence their narrow reading of the law.”
While Yoon is not the first president of South Korea to be accused, he became the first acting president to be arrested when he was arrested for insurrection charges on January 15. He spent almost two months detained before being released last month by a Seoul district court, which cited procedure problems.
Yoon’s two judgments, as well as the charges and political trial procedures presented against several other officials, have deepened the polarization between the liberals and the conservatives of South Korea. Yoon’s conservative supporters have adopted their electoral fraud rhetoric and said they are being treated unfairly, adopting slogans inspired by Trump such as “stopping theft”, while some liberal politicians have asked for the elimination of any judges who govern against the issuance.
“There has been a palpable sense of national fatigue of apparently endless political position, speculation of public media and demonstrations during a legal process longer than expected,” said Leif-Easley, a professor of international studies at Ewha Womans University in Seoul.
Yoon’s restoration had been considered more likely after the Constitutional Court revoked the dismissal of the prime minister have Duck-Soo last week for procedural reasons. Han, who became an interim president after Yoon was accused only to be accused of himself after less than two weeks, immediately resumed the role of interim president.
They have said after Friday’s ruling that “I would maintain a firm security position” and “would do everything necessary to ensure that there are no interruptions in the management of the pressing problems we face, such as the commercial war.”
Lee said that while Yoon’s elimination of the position would probably be a relief for many South Koreans, the compressed presidential campaign to replace it will bring a new tension.
“This is a very partisan country and it is a very politically divided country,” he said, “but at least this chapter in this saga is over and can move forward.”
