South Korea impeaches President Yoon Suk Yeol over martial-law decision
Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. SEOUL—South Korea’s legislature impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol over his decision to briefly institute martial law, kick-starting a monthslong process to potentially select a new leader following one of the nation’s most tumultuous chapters in recent years. Needing a two-thirds majority, lawmakers voted 204 to 85 to impeach Yoon, who will immediately be stripped of his presidential powers.
Three abstained, while eight cast invalid votes. A vote last weekend to impeach the conservative president failed. The country’s prime minister, Han Duck-soo, a Harvard-educated former ambassador to the U.S., will serve as acting president in the interim.
Yoon, about halfway through a five-year term ending in 2027, won’t be removed from office until South Korea’s constitutional court reviews and certifies the impeachment vote. The court has up to six months to do so, though it has ruled far more quickly than that on impeachment cases before. If upheld, a snap election would occur within 60 days.
The clear front-runner in a snap election is Lee Jae-myung, Yoon’s archnemesis and head of the left-leaning Democratic Party who led the push to impeach the president. One recent poll put Lee’s support at 52%, with the top conservative at about 10%. Lee would bring a different flavor to South Korea’s foreign policy: He would seek engagement with North Korea, more independence from the U.S., balance with China and a tougher line with Japan.
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