Closing summary
We’re wrapping up this live coverage of the momentous ruling ousting Yoon Suk Yeol from the South Korean presidency. You can read our full report here. And below is an overview of today’s events. Thanks for reading.
Yoon Suk Yeol was ousted as president by the constitutional court on Friday, which upheld the South Korean parliament’s impeachment motion over his imposition of martial law last December that sparked the country’s worst political crisis in decades.
The court ruling – capping months of political turmoil – rejected most of Yoon’s argument that he declared martial law to sound the alarm over the main opposition party’s abuse of its parliamentary majority. There were legally justified avenues to address disagreements, it said.
The martial law decree lacked justification and was also procedurally defective, said the court’s acting chief justice, Moon Hyung-bae. He said mobilising the military against parliament to disrupt its functions was a grave violation of Yoon’s constitutional duty to safeguard the independence of the three branches of government.
Celebrations broke out among demonstrators rallying for Yoon’s ouster in Seoul, while Yoon supporters reacted with dismay and tears after gathering near his official residence. One protester was arrested for smashing a police bus window, the Yonhap news agency reported.
Yoon said after the verdict that he was “very sorry and regretful that I could not live up to your expectations” and that he wanted to “deeply thank all of you who have supported and encouraged me despite my many shortcomings”.
South Korean opposition leader Lee Jae-myung hailed the court ruling, saying Yoon “destroyed the constitution and threatened the people and democracy with the guns and knives entrusted to him by the people”, AFP reports.
The interim leader of Yoon’s ruling People Power party, Kwon Young-se, apologised to the people, saying the party humbly accepted the court’s ruling and pledging to work with the acting president to stabilise the country.
With Yoon’s removal, a presidential election is required to take place within 60 days, according to the South Korean constitution. The prime minister, Han Duck-soo, will continue to serve as acting president until the new president is inaugurated.
Yoon’s ousting from office caps months of political turmoil in South Korea that have overshadowed its efforts to deal with Donald Trump’s new US administration at a time of slowing growth in Asia’s fourth-largest economy. The South Korean won was largely unfazed by Friday’s ruling, remaining at about 1% higher v the dollar at 1,436.6 per dollar by 0249 GMT. The benchmark KOSPI was down 0.7%, also unchanged from the morning.
– With agencies
Updated
More reaction here, with Lina Yoon, a senior researcher at Human Rights Watch, saying the president’s attempt to impose martial law in December 2024 posed “a grave threat to human rights and the rule of law”.
If martial law had been maintained, South Koreans would have faced the risk of arrest and detention without trial as well as severe restrictions on their freedom of expression and assembly, among other human rights violations.
Yoon said the constitutional court’s ruling was a “decisive step to uphold human rights protections and democratic values”.
Raphael Rashid has more on South Korea entering a 60-day countdown to elect a new leader, reporting that the snap presidential election must be held within this timeframe and that many expect 3 June to be the chosen date.
Acting president Han Duck-soo must announce the election date within 10 days.
Political parties are already scrambling to select candidates, with the Democratic party’s Lee Jae-myung currently leading in polls. The conservative People Power party faces the tremendous challenge of finding a candidate untainted by association with Yoon’s failed administration.
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Yoon: 'I am very sorry and regretful that I could not live up to your expectations'
Yoon has just released a message following his removal from office. The former president wrote:
Dear beloved citizens, it has been a great honour to work for the Republic of Korea.
I deeply thank all of you who have supported and encouraged me despite my many shortcomings.
I am very sorry and regretful that I could not live up to your expectations.
I will always pray for our beloved Republic of Korea and its citizens.
Yoon Suk Yeol.
Updated
Japan’s prime minister, Shigeru Ishiba, said that whatever the outcome of South Korea’s coming election, cooperation between the two country would be Tokyo’s priority, Reuters reports.
The early presidential election that today’s court ruling removing Yoon from office has triggered is likely to be held in early June, South Korea’s Yonhap news agency is reporting.
By law, a snap election must be held within 60 days after the court ruling. The law also stipulates that the date for a presidential election must be announced at least 50 days in advance, the report says.
This leaves an 11-day window for the election from 24 May to 3 June, although analysts expect the vote to take place on the last day.
Yonhap continues:
Observers point to 3 June – the 60th day from Friday’s ruling – as the most likely date as the election is likely to be pushed back as far as possible to allow enough time for political parties to prepare for the primaries and campaigns.
When former president Park Geun-hye was removed from office on 10 March 2017, the early election was also held exactly 60 days later, on 9 May.
While presidential elections, general elections and local elections are held on Wednesdays, no such rule applies in the case of an early presidential election, so it can be scheduled on a Tuesday.
If the election for 3 June is confirmed, the formal candidate registration period will be 10-11 May. The official campaign period will run from 12 May until the day before the election, or 2 June.
… The newly elected president will assume office immediately after the election results without a transition team.
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Yoon’s legal woes are far from over, as he still faces a criminal trial on the grave charge of leading an insurrection over the December martial law declaration.
Although such a charge is one of only two that presidents are not immune from, now that he returns to being a regular civilian, prosecutors are expected to aggressively pursue the case on the back of the constitutional court verdict.
He could theoretically face life imprisonment or the death penalty, although South Korea is considered de facto abolitionist, with its last execution carried out in 1997.
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Yoon’s ousting from office caps months of political turmoil in South Korea that have overshadowed its efforts to deal with Donald Trump’s new US administration at a time of slowing growth in Asia’s fourth-largest economy.
With Yoon’s removal, a presidential election is required to take place within 60 days, according to the country’s constitution. The prime minister, Han Duck-soo, will continue to serve as acting president until the new president is inaugurated, as Reuters reports.
“The constitutional court’s unanimous ruling has removed a major source of uncertainty,” said Prof Leif-Eric Easley of Ewha University in Seoul.
And not a moment too soon, given how the next administration in Seoul must navigate North Korea’s military threats, China’s diplomatic pressure and Trump’s trade tariffs.
Thousands of people at a rally calling for Yoon’s ouster, including hundreds who had camped out overnight, erupted into wild cheers on hearing the ruling, chanting “we won!”.
Yoon supporters who were gathered near his official residence reacted in anger. One protester was arrested for smashing a police bus window, the Yonhap news agency reported.
The South Korean won was largely unfazed by Friday’s ruling, remaining at about 1% higher vs dollar at 1,436.6 per dollar by 0249 GMT. The benchmark KOSPI was down 0.7%, also unchanged from the morning, as the expected scenario was for the court to uphold the impeachment bill.
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Now that Yoon Suk Yeol has been removed from office, some Korean media have already stopped referring to him as “president” or “former president”, instead using his name or simply “Mr Yoon”.
This shift in tone is deliberate, emphasising his loss of authority and legitimacy.
A huge security operation has besieged the area surrounding the constitutional court for the past few weeks, reinforced to the max over the past few days.
Riot police had gathered expecting the worst and were ready with backpacks of pepper spray. Huge barricades and police walls were set up across the neighbourhood.
There were legitimate concerns of violence after four people died following Park Geun-hye’s removal eight years ago, and following the recent storming of a courthouse by pro-Yoon supporters.
Despite all the preparations for potential chaos, the pro-Yoon supporters are largely absent from the vicinity despite their vocal presence in recent weeks.
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Opposition leader says Yoon 'destroyed the constitution'
South Korean opposition leader Lee Jae-myung has hailed today’s court verdict removing Yoon Suk Yeol from presidential office over his martial law declaration.
Lee said Yoon “destroyed the constitution and threatened the people and democracy with the guns and knives entrusted to him by the people”, AFP reports.
Polls suggest Lee is the frontrunner in elections triggered by Yoon’s removal.
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Yoon's party says it accepts verdict and makes 'sincere apology to the people'
The political party of Yoon Suk Yeol says it accepts the verdict upholding his impeachment and stripping him of office.
“It is regrettable, but the People Power party solemnly accepts and humbly respects the constitutional court’s decision,” legislator Kwon Young-se said on Friday.
“We extend our sincere apology to the people,” Agence France-Presse also quoted him as saying.
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A momentous day.
The fear sparked by Yoon’s martial law declaration has been answered with his removal from office.
As the court delivered its verdict, crowds outside Anguk station erupted in tears of joy, shouting “We have won!”
Nearby, thousands of riot police stood on standby, but pro-Yoon supporters were nowhere to be seen near the constitutional court.
The court’s unanimous decision to remove President Yoon Suk Yeol from office cited the need to protect the constitution and the democratic order. The justices ruled that Yoon had mobilised military and police forces against other constitutional institutions and infringed on citizens’ basic rights.
This historic verdict will be remembered as a crucial moment in South Korea’s democratic journey.
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Yoon critics rejoice as court says his martial law declaration 'violated’ constitution
Celebrations have broken out among Yoon Suk Yeol’s detractors in Seoul after the constitutional court voted to uphold his impeachment and strip him from office.
The South Korean court said in its unanimous ruling on Friday that Yoon’s declaration of martial law in December “violated” the country’s constitution.
Yoon “did not merely declare martial law, but went on to commit acts that violated the constitution and the law, including mobilising military and police forces to obstruct the national assembly’s exercise of its authority”, acting chief justice Moon Hyung-bae said court said in delivering the ruling.
He said Yoon violated his duty as president with the martial law declaration, acting beyond the powers given to him under the constitution and describing his actions as “a serious challenge to democracy”.
“[Yoon] committed a grave betrayal of the people’s trust who are the sovereign members of the democratic republic,” he said, adding that Yoon’s declaration created chaos in all areas of society, the economy and foreign policy.
The judge said:
We hereby pronounce the following ruling, with the unanimous agreement of all justices. [We] dismiss respondent President Yoon Suk Yeol.
Yoon’s short-lived martial law declaration in December led to armed soldiers being deployed to parliament and triggered the country’s worst political crisis in decades.
– With agencies
Updated
The long-awaited court decision on Yoon Suk Yeol’s late-night order to impose martial law in December has exposed deep divisions in South Korean society and alarmed the US and other allies, Justin McCurry says in his full report on the verdict just now.
Yoon’s opponents and supporters have held large rallies in recent days, although an unprecedented police presence meant protesters were unable to access the immediate vicinity of the court building on Friday.
A reported 14,000 police had been deployed in the capital in anticipation of possible violence, irrespective of which way the court ruled.
The full report says the ruling removing Yoon from office after the court voted to uphold parliament’s decision to impeach over his ill-fated declaration of martial law in December means that the acting president, Han Duck-soo, will remain in office until South Koreans elect a new president within 60 days.
See McCurry’s report here:
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Pictures are also arriving of Yoon’s detractors reacting with celebrations after the court backed his impeachment.
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Images are coming through of pro-Yoon supporters in Seoul reacting in grief to the court’s ruling ousting him from the presidency.
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Yoon's actions went beyond his constitutional powers – court
Justice Moon said in delivering the constitutional court’s verdict that Yoon Suk Yeol took actions beyond the powers provided in South Korea’s constitution.
He said the martial law decree violated people’s basic rights, Reuters reports.
The judge said in the constitutional court’s unanimous ruling to oust Yoon that the impeached president’s actions inflicted serious damage to the democratic republic’s stability.
Yoon’s martial law declaration also interfered with the judiciary’s independence, said Moon, the court’s acting president.
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Court upholds Yoon's impeachment
The constitutional court has ruled to oust impeached president Yoon Suk Yeol.
Yoon violated his duty as South Korean commander-in-chief by mobilising troops, says Justice Moon, the constitutional court’s acting president says. The president’s martial law declarations violated parliament’s rights, he says as the ruling continues.
Updated
Justice Moon says it is difficult to see the South Korean opposition’s actions as a severe national crisis to justify Yoon Suk Yeol’s martial law declaration, Reuters is reporting as he continues delivering the ruling.
The court’s Justice Hyung-bae Moon says the impeachment case against Yoon Suk Yeol is procedurally sound, Reuters is reporting, as the judgment continues.
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What’s at stake in today’s constitutional court verdict? Raphael Rashid and Justin McCurry have put together this curtain-raiser.
If Yoon Suk Yeol survives the impeachment ruling, he will have pulled off an extraordinary political comeback, they write. If the decision goes against him, he will join a growing list of disgraced South Korean leaders who challenged the country’s democratic institutions.
For the full story click here:
A judge of the South Korean constitutional court is speaking as its ruling is under way, live footage shows.
South Korea’s constitutional court is scheduled to begin delivering its ruling on Yoon Suk Yeol’s impeachment now – at 11am local time (0200 GMT) – in a nationally televised session, according to news reports.
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Continued from last post:
Traffic, crowds
In parts of Seoul and elsewhere in the country, hundreds of thousands of people are expected to turn out for opposing rallies. Authorities say some of central Seoul’s main thoroughfares may be closed to traffic.
The Seoul subway’s Anguk station, which is near the court, will be closed all day and trains will not stop there.
Closures
The 11 schools and kindergartens within a 1km radius of the constitution court in Seoul will be closed all day on Friday.
National museums near the court and three royal palaces that are popular tourist destinations, including the Gyeongbokgung and the Unesco world heritage Changdeokgung will be closed to the public on Friday and possibly other days if needed.
The US embassy in South Korea said routine consular operations such as visa interviews would be cancelled on Friday and advised Americans to exercise caution around crowds and rallies.
South Korea is bracing for a potentially violent public reaction to the constitutional court ruling on whether to remove Yoon Suk Yeol from office or reinstate the impeached president.
Reuters has this rundown on some of the security measures being taken in and around the constitutional court in central Seoul and elsewhere in the capital in the lead-up to today’s verdict.
The court
A 150-metre stretch of a four-lane street in front of the court will be closed to cars and pedestrians, with several layers of police buses parked bumper to bumper along both sides of the road and their wheels chained.
A 1.85 km radius around the court has been declared a no-fly zone for Friday, as reported earlier, with equipment deployed to disable drones.
The eight justices of the court already have security protection and acting president Han Duck-soo has directed the police to step up protection for them.
Police
The police have warned of zero tolerance for any illegal activities related to the court decision, following a mob rampage at another court after it approved a warrant for Yoon’s detention on 26 January.
Authorities were also caught off guard by the violent protest following the ruling ousting former president Park Geun-hye in 2017, when four Park supporters were killed and scores injured, including police.
More than 14,000 police officers will be mobilised throughout Seoul. They have been authorised to use pepper spray and batons if needed. South Korean police have unofficially stopped using tear gas and water cannon for crowd control after deaths in past protests.
Continued next post
In today’s lead-up to the constitutional court ruling – scheduled to begin in under half an hour – large crowds of Yoon Suk Yeol’s supporters and detractors have gathered in Seoul.
Live footage showed many of his backers near the presidential residence waving South Korean or US flags as roused voices addressed them over loudspeakers in what resembled a festival atmosphere amid music, horns, clattering objects and group singing.
Demonstrators against Yoon near the constitutional court also held flags and waved placards as music played and some sang along, in between amplified voices rallying the crowd.
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Opening
Welcome to our live coverage of the South Korean constitutional court’s ruling on the impeachment of President Yoon Suk Yeol after months of political turmoil.
The court in Seoul will decide whether to remove or reinstate Yoon after he imposed martial law in December and triggered South Korea’s worst political crisis in decades.
His fate has been hanging in the balance after the court defied expectations of a swift ruling on whether violated his constitutional duty, instead deliberating for more than five weeks in tight secrecy as public unrest swelled. The court is scheduled to deliver its ruling at 11am local time (0200 GMT) on Friday in a nationally televised session, Reuters reports.
Police are bracing for potential violence and planned to mobilise more than 14,000 officers in the capital.
Yoon, 64, is not expected to attend, but if stripped of the presidency would become the second South Korean leader to be impeached by the court after Park Geun-hye in 2017.
Yoon was suspended by legislators over his short-lived martial law declaration on 3 December, which led to armed soldiers being deployed to parliament. He was also arrested over a separate criminal trial on insurrection charges.
In other developments:
A 100-metre radius has been imposed outside the constitutional court building to prevent demonstrations, report Raphael Rashid and Justin McCurry, and the security clampdown extends well beyond the barricades. A no-fly zone has been imposed over the court, with police deploying signal jammers against unauthorised drones. Petrol stations near the court were to be closed to prevent arson attacks, and rooftop access to high-rise buildings restricted.
Embassies including the US, French, Russian and Chinese have warned citizens to avoid mass gatherings in connection with today’s verdict.
At least six of the constitutional court’s eight justices must vote to remove Yoon – approving the impeachment motion passed by MPs in mid-December – otherwise he will be reinstated. Removal would trigger a presidential election that must be held within 60 days. Reinstatement would mean Yoon’s presidential powers will be immediately restored.
Yoon has defended his 3 December attempt to subvert civilian rule as necessary to root out “anti-state forces”. He still commands the backing of extreme supporters, who have staged protests for weeks in the run-up to today’s verdict. At least two staunch Yoon supporters have died after self-immolating in protest against his impeachment.
A Gallup Korea poll released last week showed 60% of respondents saying Yoon should be ousted.
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