South Korea court removes impeached president

The Constitutional Court upheld the impeachment of Yoon Suk Yeol after his declaration of martial law in December

Opponents of South Korea's impeached president, Yoon Suk Yeol, celebrated his removal from office
Protesters supporting Yoon's ouster reacted to the verdict 'with hugs and screams'
(Image credit: Chung Sung-Jun / Getty Images)

What happened

South Korea's Constitutional Court Friday morning unanimously upheld the impeachment of President Yoon Suk Yeol and removed him from office. Yoon's Dec. 3 declaration of martial law was a "grave betrayal of the people's trust" and a "serious challenge to democracy," acting Chief Justice Moon Hyung-bae said from the bench. The National Assembly had quickly quashed the decree and impeached Yoon Dec. 14.

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Peter Weber, The Week US

Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.