Jean Mackenzie
Seoul correspondent
Watch: The South Korean court removes President Yoon from his functions
The President of South Korea was removed from his functions after the Constitutional Court voted unanimously to maintain his dismissal.
Yoon Suk Yeol was suspended from duty in December after being charged by Parliament, following his failed attempt to impose martial law.
Friday, the decision met tears of joy and sadness among the criticisms and supporters of Yoon, who had gathered in various parts of Seoul to watch the Verdict live.
An early election to vote for the replacement of Yoon must be held on June 3.
What is the following for South Korea?
After months of waiting, the South Koreans have a seriously necessary closure. The country can now start to repair and move forward, the first step being to elect a new leader.
But the crisis that Yoon has unleashed is far from over. Although its military control only lasted six hours, political spinoffs only intensified each month that has passed.
The night of December 3, when Yoon ordered the troops to storm the Parliament, changed something in the psyche of South Korea. He woke up the ghosts of the violent and dictatorial past of the country, showing people that martial law was not, as most of them supposed, recorded in history.
Many are still upset by what happened that night and is afraid that the threat of martial law could again be brandished by future zealous politicians.
Getty images
Most of today’s verdict was a relief for the most part, which applauded the streets of Seoul while the verdict was read. It is a victory for the democracy of South Korea, which for a certain time seemed on dangerous terrain.
The Constitutional Court was overwhelming in its criticism of the authoritarian power of Yoon, while the eight judges voted to withdraw it from its functions.
Moon Hyung-Bae, the acting president of the bench, said that the short-term military redemption of Yoon was not justified and that he had “(Party) against the people he was supposed to protect”.
He added that the implementation of martial law “damaged the fundamental political rights of people” and “violated the principles of the rule of law and democracy”.
Already, there are serious calls to change the constitution of South Korea – to strengthen its institutions and limit the president’s powers – to protect yourself. However, it will take a particularly patriotic future president to sign the reduction of their own authority.
South Korea more polarized than ever
While Yoon leaves his duties, he leaves not only a shaken country, but a divided country. In the aftermath of this shocking night in December, the South Koreans were mainly united in their disgust for the president and what he had tried to do.
But Yoon has not shown no remorse. He dug, fought his trial at each stage, and continued to suspend the same theories of the unfounded conspiracy which he had used to justify his military control.
He said the country and his political opposition had been infiltrated by North Korean and Chinese spies, and that these “anti-state forces” had faked the previous elections.
Little by little, more and more people believed him. For them, Yoon is now a political martyr – the victim of an establishment that had been overwhelmed by “communists”.
His conspiracy theories firmly took root and extreme right extremism is flourishing. Thousands of people protest every week at the Seoul center. On Friday, they were on the street, and will be there again on Saturday, saying that the politicians and the country’s judges are corrupt and that the elections are faked.
And these are not fringe views.
More than a third of people now say that they do not trust the Constitutional Court which made Yoon’s verdict; Over a quarter does not trust the voting system.
In this climate of distrust, South Korea must go to the polls. Yoon’s successor must be chosen in the next 60 days. These days are sure of being loaded and even more conflicting. Many may not accept the coming result.
However, South Korea urgently needs a new leader who can defend the country as a whole, having not been without months.
He must quickly understand how to manage President Trump, having started on the retro-cooking. Its 25% prices on cars and steel treated Seoul, and its sick economy, an early blow, but many believe worse to come; That it is only time until Trump turns his gaze to the Korean peninsula, and when he will, he will try to force South Korea to pay more for his defense and to conclude an agreement with the Arc de Seoul, Kim Jong Un.
Reuters
Many people have camped outside the court since the day before in anticipation of the decision
Yoon’s legal team accused the court of politicizing the decision.
“The whole process of this trial itself was not legal and unfair,” said one of his lawyers, Yoon Gap-Geun.
“I feel unfortunate that it is completely a political decision,” he said.
But politicians call unity, asking everyone to accept the verdict, so that South Korea can begin to continue.
The political party of Yoon, the PPP, conceded, but Yoon himself did not do so. In a statement, he apologized to his supporters for his “shortcomings” without mentioning the decision.
“I am really sorry and regrettable not to be able to meet your expectations,” he said.
“It was a great honor to serve the Republic of Korea. I am deeply grateful to all those who supported and encouraged me, despite my many shortcomings,” he said.
He cannot appeal, because the decision was taken by the South Korea Court. But, after having repeatedly sworn to fight to the end, he could always refuse to go quietly.
How did we get here?
In an unprecedented television announcement on December 3, Yoon said that he invoked martial law to protect the country from “anti-state” forces that sympathized with North Korea.
At the time, the besieged chief was in an impasse on a budgetary bill, obstinate by corruption scandals and several of his ministers were the subject of an investigation.
Less than two hours after Yoon’s Declaration, 190 legislators who gathered, some of which in the Yoon party, voted to overthrow it.
Yoon was dismissed by the Parliament and suspended from his duties on December 14.
He is also faced with separate accusations of insurrection – which made him arrest the first president of South Korea to be arrested and accused of a crime – for which he will be tested on a later date. He is now on bail.
Yoon is not the only South Korean politician to have faced the dismissal in recent months.
Prime Minister Han Duck -SOO was reinstated as an interim leader in the country last month – a role he assured when Yoon was suspended – after being charged with his decision to block the appointment of new judges before the Constitutional Court.
In 2017, former President Park Geun-Hye was forced to duties for her role in a corruption scandal involving a close friend.
