The consequences of Yoon Suk Yeol’s impeachment: What is waiting for South Korea?

April 14, 2025

Written By Inès Guillemot–Perez-Rendon

Ten days have passed since South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol was removed from office after the unanimous verdict of the Constitutional Court. As a reminder, on 3rd December 2024, the lawyer declared martial law all over the country. The broadcast of this declaration on television turned Korean society upside down. This martial law was declared as part of a state of emergency with the aim of “eradicating the abject anti-state pro-North Korean strongmen”, as said by the former president. It is important to remember that although there is a ceasefire between the two countries, the conflict is still ongoing despite numerous attempts at rapprochement between the two countries.

“I declare martial law to protect the Republic of Korea from the threats of North Korean communist forces, to immediately eradicate the unscrupulous pro-Pyongyang anti-state forces who are plundering the freedom and happiness of our people, and to protect the free constitutional order.”

According to the South Korean law, martial law can only be introduced in specific contexts where national security may be at risk. As a result, administrative and judicial powers are transferred to the army, which can have a significant impact on human rights. Indeed, martial law also suspends citizens' civil rights and the standards and protections of the rule of law for a transitional period only. This is why the Head of State, who is the person empowered to declare martial law, must justify its introduction in order to guarantee overall the fundamental individual rights and freedom.

From the former president Yoon Suk Yeol’s point of view, it was necessary and legitimate to introduce martial law. The National Assembly, dominated by the opposition of the ruling party, had expressed its opposition to the government's proposed budget. The President, who was in office at the time, denounced the “legislative dictatorship” which, for him, was the cause of the inefficiency of the state apparatus. Furthermore, according to Yoon Suk Yeol, the deputies who were elected following the rules of the political game in force in South Korea were in reality communist agents contributing to the instability of the government. However, following these serious accusations, he did not provide any evidence to support this claim. This declaration would have marked the 17th episode of martial law since the Republic of Korea was proclaimed in 1948. 

However, to prevent any form of abusive use of power by the Head of State, a constitutional amendment in 1987 authorised the National Assembly to vote against the establishment of martial law. This measure was put in place shortly after the former president's declaration back in December. This impeachment voted by the deputies suspended Yoon Suk Yeol's functions as President of the country. This legislative action also put an end to the outburst of the military following Yoon Suk Yeol's statement. 

A few hours after the speech, the military took action inside the parliament to prevent members of the opposition political party from entering. Although the various images of this event show confrontations between the deputies, assisted by civilians, and the soldiers who were present, these tensions did not lead to any form of violence. Some MPs were able to bypass the various devices such as the barricades set up by the military to enter the National Assembly.

The army also had the opportunity to issue a press release during the night, announcing among other things that gatherings by political organisations would be banned and that the armed forces would be responsible for reporting the events, which until then had been handled by the traditional media. However, this press release had no particular repercussions, which can be explained by the responsiveness of the deputies and their will to put an end to this situation as soon as possible.

Only a few hours later, during the night, 190 of the 300 present deputies rejected President Yoon Suk Yeol's decision. Not only was it rejected by deputies belonging to the opposition party, but also by the leader of the former president's own party, the conservative People's Power Party, who declared the action as a “bad decision”. Under South Korean law, the government must lift martial law. 

This event shook South Korean democracy to the core. Many citizens were convinced that democracy was assured, especially following the Gwangju massacre on 18th May 1980. The inhabitants of this town in Cholla province rose up against the declaration of martial law by the dictator Chun Doo-hwan. Following this event, which is remembered as an episode in the country's dark history, many activists were arrested and convicted, and lost their civil rights. The massacre was not revealed until the late 1980s. For many Koreans, the declaration of martial law reminded them of these previous dictatorships that were supposed to belong to History.

The Constitutional Court's decision 4 months later, a delay which was criticised by Yoon Suk Yeol's opponents, marked the end of his mandate as president of the country. This decision contributed even more to the polarization of the society between opponents and supporters of the former president. On the day of the decision, massive gatherings were held to follow the event live. Reactions ranged from tears of joy to frustration coming from supporters of the former president. New presidential elections are due to be held in June. Predictions suggest that the leader of the Democratic Party, Lee Jae-myung, will be South Korea's next head of state. This event has shown that the Rule of Law is still efficient and even powerful against actions that could take down all the efforts made by the Korean citizens through history to gain the democracy which is currently known. It also reminds that democracy is still fragile and always need to be protected.