Far East: With Yoon Suk Yeol’s Sealed Fate, What Comes Next For South Korea?
South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol attending his impeachment trails on February 13, 2025. Joen Heon-Kyun via ap.
On April 20th, South Korea’s suspended president, Yoon Suk Yeol, was officially removed from office after the Constitutional Court upheld the parliament’s decision to impeach him. The decision of impeachment came in the aftermath of President Yoon’s declaration of martial law back in December 2024, a move which many domestic lawmakers and foreign diplomats alike have shown “grave concern.”
In his declaration of martial law, Yoon accused lawmakers and the National Assembly of “paralysing the judicial work by intimidating judges and impeaching prosecutors…” while also accusing the opposition as North Korean communist forces and that the objective of the declaration was to “eradicate the unscrupulous pro-Pyongyang, anti-state forces.” As the result and aftermath played out, however, the only party eradicated was Yoon himself, hammering in the final nail into his political career’s coffin.
“…Obstructing the Exercise of Legislative Authority”
on the left, presiding judge moon hyung-bae acting chief justice of south korean constitutional court, attending president yoon’s impeachment trail. jung yeon-je via ap.
All eight justices of the South Korean Constitutional Court made the decision to uphold the parliament’s impeachment against President Yoon while also officially dismissing Yoon as president. The court cited that Yoon has deliberately “mobilised military and police forces to obstruct the exercise of legislative authority”, which is in clear violation of South Korea’s constitution and law.
Yoon denied all of the charges. He argued that his declaration of martial law was a necessity; to eradicate the “anti-state” main opposition party that had used its legislative power inappropriately, and that he never intended to cause dysfunction in the legislature but only to warn the lawmakers of the consequences if such an anti-state agenda were pushed further.
Those claims and appeals quickly collapsed as several senior military and law enforcement officers testified that the act was a deliberate, though poorly executed, attempt to seize the legislature.
“Martial Law is Not A Coup D’État”
The now ex-president Yoon’s court troubles did not end with the constitutional court’s bang of the gavel. Yoon will face a criminal trial where he will grapple with insurrection charges from the criminal court, a charge which poses severe penalties: life imprisonment or the death penalty. On April 14th, Yoon went to Seoul Central District Court to start his case of criminal trial, a trial in which he denied all charges with the noted remark “martial law is not a coup d’etat.”
president yoon appealing his charge was being broadcast live at a bus terminal in seoul, south korea. ahn young-joo via ap.
Two senior military officers who stand as witnesses in the court, however, seek to differ. Cho Sung-hyun, from the army’s capital defence command, has testified that Yoon’s martial law order has ordered him and his command to drag lawmakers out of the parliament the night the declaration was made. As such, Yoon will be charged with masterminding the insurrection, a charge which South Korea has not seen in decades.
The Prosecution of The “Martyr”
a group of president yoon’s supporters outside of the constitutional court. ahn young-joo via ap.
Following the justices’ decisions, comments, and support as well as opposition to the ruling, have come pouring in. Ahn Eung-soo, a 72-year-old retiree said that “there is hope for this country as we overthrew a dictator and will elect a new leader, people will have a better life.” Meanwhile, on the contrary, Kim Young-kyu, a 61-year-old retiree has expressed views that the ruling was “politicised” and that the ruling was not “logical.” He said, “I will continue to protest for our country, President Yoon should be at the forefront of our efforts to evict anti-state forces.” Yoon supporters, furious, vandalised nearby police vehicles and chanted death threats against the opposition leader, Lee Jae-myung.
According to Lee, the verdict is a new beginning for Korea, while the head of the opposition-controlled National Assembly expresses satisfaction in the verdict, saying that the ruling is a “victory for the constitution, democracy and the people”. Kwon Young-se, the interim leader of Yoon’s party, has expressed sincere apologies following the martial law and the ruling. Yoon’s personal lawyer, Yun Gap-geun, has expressed deep regret, and the court’s ruling “appears to be nothing more than a political decision”.
Lee Jae-myung, leader of South Korea's main opposition Democratic Party, the frontrunner of the upcoming presidential election. kim hong-ji via reuters.
According to the South Korean constitution, a presidential election must be held within the next 60 days. In the race, Lee Jae-myung, a factory worker and a lawyer, is currently leading the polls as Yoon’s successor in the presidential seat. He was defeated by Yoon by a mere percentage point in the 2022 presidential election. Meanwhile, members from Yoon’s own party, the People Power party, have put in the labor minister, Kim Moon-soo, Seoul mayor, Oh Se-hoon, Daegu mayor, Hong Joon-pyo, and former party leader Han Dong-hoon as contenders for the election.
Despite being currently ahead in polls, Lee’s path to becoming the president is not so simple. Being faced with his own legal challenges for making false statements during the previous election campaign, he is appealing to the high court for a new verdict. Moreover, he will have to stand trial for charges relating to channelling funds from North Korea later this month. These convictions, every single one of them, could potentially block Lee from running for any public office. Therefore, the situation in South Korea is full of uncertainty and amidst the ongoing concern regarding U.S. President Donald Trump’s protectionist trade policies, which could impact the South Korean economy badly.
An elderly woman reacts to the verdict during a street rally in Seoul. Jung Yeon-je via AFP.
Meanwhile, it is unlikely that Yoon will quietly fade away from public life. Knowing that his supporters condemn the verdict, he might use this platform to promote himself as a martyr, fighting against the prejudice and the politically motivated court. The verdict’s anger spread widely, as seen in how Yoon’s supporters stormed a Seoul courthouse and have been protesting violently in the capital. Some analysts have taken note that this anger amongst his conservative supporters will ultimately be proved limited as the attention now will be focused on who is the right’s new successor.
The story of South Korea’s uncertainty will march onwards as the country is yet to see a successor who could unify the country against the impending threats from the outside world, as the trade war intensifies, and the US is about to renew its diplomatic engagement with Pyongyang.