South Korea: President Removed, Elections in June

Seoul, South Korea —(Map)

Last Friday, South Korea’s Constitutional Court ruled 8-0 that President Yoon Suk Yeol should be removed from office. On Tuesday, acting president Han Duck-soo announced that new elections will be held on June 3.

South Korea has been in an unusual political situation since last December. Mr. Yoon was impeached by parliament, but the country was waiting to hear the Constitutional Court’s decision on whether he would actually be removed from office.

Mr. Yoon was impeached because he declared martial law on December 3. This action put South Korea under military rule for the first time in over 40 years. Mr. Yoon sent soldiers to the National Assembly – the country’s parliament – and asked the military to arrest some members of parliament.

Mr. Yoon’s martial law order only lasted six hours, but it created serious problems. It worried the country’s allies, as well as large businesses worldwide. Many people believed Mr. Yoon had illegally tried to take complete control of the government. Hundreds of thousands of people came out to protest.

On December 14, Mr. Yoon was impeached by the National Assembly, with 12 members of his own party voting against him. He was suspended as president until the country’s Constitutional Court decided whether or not he should be removed.

With Mr. Yoon suspended, the country has been led by Han Duck-soo, who is acting temporarily as president. Mr. Han wasn’t elected, but was chosen as prime minister by Mr. Yoon.

On April 4, all eight judges of South Korea’s Constitutional Court agreed that Mr. Yoon should be removed from office. The court said Mr. Yoon had broken the country’s constitution in many ways. By law, when the president is removed, new elections must be held within 60 days.

The election date has now been set for June 3. The day will also be a public holiday to make it easier for people to vote. Whoever wins the election will take office right away.

The main two parties in South Korea are Mr. Yoon’s People’s Power Party (PPP) and the Democratic Party (DPK). Both parties will hold primary elections to choose a candidate for the upcoming election.

The main two parties in South Korea are Mr. Yoon’s People’s Power Party (PPP) and the Democratic Party (DPK). Lee Jae-myung (shown above in the National Assembly on Monday) is the leading candidate for the DPK. Things are far less clear for the PPP. Until Friday, the party hoped that Mr. Yoon might not be removed.

Lee Jae-myung is the leading candidate for the DPK. He ran against Mr. Yoon in 2022 and came very close to winning. But Mr. Lee is also facing charges of corruption and breaking election rules. He says Mr. Yoon’s government brought the charges for political reasons.

Things are far less clear for the PPP. Until Friday, the party hoped that Mr. Yoon might remain as president. One candidate is Labor Minister Kim Moon Soo. Another is Ahn Cheol-soo, who has run in each of South Korea’s last three elections.

There are many pressures on South Korea now, and the country would be better off with a stable government. The threats from North Korea are growing. The country must also deal with the US. Though the US has long been an ally, the situation is less clear under President Donald Trump. Last week, Mr. Trump put a 25% tariff on all products from South Korea.