Former South Korean President Officially Impeached, “Like Struck by a Boomerang”

The impeachment of Yoon Suk-yeol was unanimously confirmed on Friday, April 4, by the Constitutional Court of Seoul, a decision that paves the way for a new presidential election in a troubled context. South Korean media presents a harsh assessment of his time in power.

On April 4, the Constitutional Court of Seoul upheld the impeachment of President Yoon Suk-yeol, thus validating the motion approved by Parliament on December 14, following the martial law he had declared on December 3. The ruling, delivered unanimously by eight judges, takes immediate effect.

“The former president Yoon Suk-yeol, who took office on May 10, 2022, has been removed after just two months and eleven days,” promptly announced the Kyunghyang Shinmun newspaper. It adds in another article:

“By delivering the ruling unanimously, the eight judges likely aimed to minimize the risks of disobedience from the former president’s supporters and help the country recover quickly from the current crisis.”

The daily also reminds that Yoon Suk-yeol is not done with justice, as he “is accused of attempted coup and must appear at the first session of his trial scheduled for April 14.”

The online publication Pressian specifies that “Mr. Yoon is no longer president and must immediately vacate his place of residence.” It reports the initial reactions of his lawyers, who denounce the ruling as an “incomprehensible political judgment from a legal standpoint.” “It is regrettable that the judges focused on a tree instead of looking at the entire forest,” one of them stated, claiming that regarding martial law, “the president had no choice.” A few hours later, Yoon Suk-yeol communicated through his lawyers that he regretted “not having lived up to the expectations of those who supported him,” reports Kyunghyang Shinmun, which criticizes him for “only addressing his supporters until the end.”

According to Hankook Ilbo, “this impeachment strikes back like a boomerang at President Yoon Suk-yeol, who violated his promise to uphold the Constitution by declaring martial law and continued to disdain justice by attempting to evade charges of attempted coup.” The newspaper listed the accusations against Mr. Yoon concerning his lack of cooperation with the justice system in this matter and the messages of support he sent to his backers. It denounces:

“His lawyers even resorted to fake news, claiming that the American military stationed in South Korea arrested 99 Chinese spies suspected of intervening in South Korean elections.”

“Subjugated by extreme right arguments”

For the Hankyoreh newspaper, Yoon Suk-yeol’s presidency has left marks on South Korean society that will bear the consequences: “Subjugated by the conspiracy theories of the extreme right circulating on YouTube, he has cast shadows over the people’s aspiration for a democratic society that respects the Constitution.” The daily adds: “The impeachment of Yoon Suk-yeol is not the end of the story, as he has opened the way for the extreme right, calling on his supporters to ‘fight against anti-state groups.’ Anti-state groups, Chinese spies, electoral fraud… This worldview, characteristic of the extreme right, has become a threat to our country’s democracy.”

The newspaper offers a report card on Yoon Suk-yeol’s term, “elected president with a 0.73% lead”: “Yoon Suk-yeol’s time was marked by erratic governance, his refusal to listen and communicate, and the privatization of his functions for his own benefit and that of his wife.”

The Chosun Ilbo daily reports mixed reactions in the streets of Seoul, between demonstrators for and against the impeachment. “Upon the announcement of the ruling, in the camp opposing the impeachment, some cried and attacked police vehicles,” the paper reports, while supporters of the impeachment shouted with joy, chanting ‘Long live the Republic!’

“The great people have reclaimed the great democratic republic that is our country,” declared Lee Jae-myung, likely candidate of the Democratic Party for the upcoming presidential election and the favorite in polls. Han Duck-soo, the current interim president, must announce the date of the next presidential election by April 15, which is expected to take place no later than June 3.