South Korea President Impeached

The South Korean National Assembly has voted to impeach President Yoon Suk Yeol, triggering a wave of jubilation among thousands of protesters who gathered on the streets of Seoul to celebrate the decision.

In a historic move on Friday, 204 lawmakers backed the impeachment motion, effectively suspending Yoon from office. Prime Minister Han Duck-soo will assume the role of acting president while the constitutional court reviews the case. The court has up to six months to decide whether to uphold or overturn the impeachment.

This development follows weeks of political chaos that peaked when President Yoon declared martial law last week, a move that was quickly rescinded but left his administration in disarray.

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Yoon narrowly survived a previous impeachment attempt last weekend but continued to face mounting public anger and calls for his resignation.

Yoon and several of his allies are also under investigation for alleged insurrection charges, with a travel ban imposed on some key figures in his administration.

While anti-Yoon protesters rejoiced in downtown Seoul, chanting slogans and waving banners, the atmosphere at a pro-Yoon rally in Gwanghwamun Square was somber.

Pastor Jun Kwang-hoon, a vocal supporter of the president, led the crowd in chants of “Disassemble the ruling party,” but many attendees appeared visibly shaken.

Son Bang-gle, a Yoon supporter in her 30s, tearfully expressed her concerns about the country’s future. “I knew I would feel even worse if I was alone at the moment of hearing about the result,” she said, reflecting the sense of despair that gripped the president’s loyalists.