South Korea's Constitutional Court ousts impeached President Yoon

The Star

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol was ousted on Friday (April 4) after the Constitutional Court upheld his impeachment over last year’s brief imposition of martial law, which triggered the country’s worst political crisis in decades.  Read more at https://tinyurl.com/3as7hxz8  WATCH MORE: https://thestartv.com/c/news SUBSCRIBE: https://cutt.ly/TheStar LIKE: https://fb.com/TheStarOnline

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00:00South Korean President Yoon Suk-yol was ousted on Friday after the Constitutional Court upheld

00:07his impeachment over last year's brief imposition of martial law, which triggered the country's

00:12worst political crisis in decades.

00:15With Yoon's ouster, South Korea must hold a presidential election within 60 days, as

00:20mandated by the Constitution.

00:23Until then, Prime Minister Han Deok-su will serve as acting president.

00:28Opposing Chief Justice Moon Hyeong-bae stated that Yoon had violated his constitutional

00:32duties by exceeding his presidential powers, posing a serious threat to democracy.

00:39He violated the rights of the constitutional institutions, such as the National Assembly,

00:44and violated the basic human rights of the people, so he abandoned his post in the Constitutional

00:49Court and greatly betrayed the people's trust in the Democratic People's Republic.

00:56Moon further noted that Yoon's declaration of martial law created turmoil across society,

01:02the economy, and foreign policy.

01:04The court's ruling was unanimous among all eight justices.

01:08As news of the decision broke, thousands at a rally demanding Yoon's removal erupted in

01:13celebration, chanting, we won.

01:17Many had camped out overnight in anticipation of the verdict.

01:26Following the ruling, Yoon issued a written apology, saying he had failed to meet the

01:31expectations of the beloved citizens.

01:34The 64-year-old also faces a criminal trial for insurrection.

01:38He became the first sitting South Korean president to be arrested on January 15, but was released

01:44in March after a court revoked his arrest warrant.

01:48The crisis began on December 3, when Yoon declared martial law, claiming it was necessary

01:53to root out anti-state elements and counter the opposition Democratic Party's alleged

01:59abuse of its parliamentary majority.

02:01However, lawmakers defied security forces' attempts to block Parliament and swiftly voted

02:07to overturn the decree just six hours later.

02:10Yoon has since insisted he never intended to fully enforce emergency military rule,

02:15downplaying the incident by emphasizing that no one was harmed.

02:22Despite months of protests, it remains unclear whether the court's decision will ease the

02:27political turmoil sparked by his actions.

02:40For more UN videos visit www.un.org

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