SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korea’s parliament on Saturday voted to impeach embattled President Yoon Suk Yeol over his short-lived martial law decree this month, a shocking stunt that paralyzed the country’s politics, halted foreign policy and spooked financial markets.
His suspension from power comes almost eight years after the impeachment of Seoul’s last conservative leader, Park Geun-hye, formally removed from office by the Constitutional Court in March 2017.
Yoon, a former public prosecutor, was part of the investigation team that examined Park’s charges of bribery, abuse of power and other crimes that the court concluded warranted her removal from office.
Now, Yoon faces potentially even more serious charges in the same court, which must decide whether his ill-conceived power grab amounted to rebellion.
Here's a look at the whirlwind events that have shaken one of Asia’s most robust democracies:
In a surprise announcement at 10:29 p.m., President Yoon tells a national television audience he’s declaring martial law, saying the opposition-controlled parliament has become a “den of criminals” paralyzing government affairs.
Yoon vows to “eradicate” his political rivals, describing them as North Korea-sympathizing, “anti-state forces” responsible for “wreaking havoc and are the main culprits of our nation’s downfall.” He doesn’t back his claims with direct evidence.
In reaction, the main opposition Democratic Party calls for an emergency meeting.
As lawmakers begin rushing to the National Assembly, the military’s martial law command issues a proclamation declaring sweeping government powers, including the suspension of political parties’ activities and other political gatherings that could cause “social confusion” and control over media and publications. It says anyone who violates the decree could be arrested without a warrant.
Hundreds of heavily armed troops encircle the Assembly, apparently to prevent lawmakers from gathering to vote on the martial law declaration. Democratic Party leader Lee Jae-myung live-streams his journey from a car, pleading for people to converge on the parliament to help lawmakers get inside. The shaky footage shows him climbing over a fence to reach the grounds.
Shortly after midnight, National Assembly Speaker Woo Won Shik says through his YouTube channel that the Assembly will respond to Yoon’s martial law declaration with “constitutional procedure."
Also climbing over a fence, Woo reaches the Assembly’s main chamber around 12:35 a.m. Some South Korean troops break windows to enter the parliament building but fail to reach the main chamber. Woo opens a meeting at 12:47 a.m. to hold a vote on whether to lift martial law.
At around 1 a.m., 190 lawmakers, including 18 from Yoon’s own conservative People Power Party, voted unanimously to lift martial law. Troops and police begin to retreat from the Assembly shortly later.
At 4:30 a.m., martial law is formally lifted following a Cabinet meeting.
Hours later, opposition parties submit a motion to impeach Yoon. They say his martial law declaration is a blatant violation of the constitution, which limits the presidential exercise of such emergency powers during wartime or comparable national emergencies, and doesn’t allow for the suspension of parliamentary activities under any situation.
“It was a grave act of rebellion and provides perfect grounds for his impeachment,” the Democratic Party said.
Yoon replaces his Defense Minister Kim Yong Hyun, a close associate believed to be the person who recommended the president declare martial law. Han Dong-hun, leader of Yoon’s party, says he would work to defeat the opposition-led impeachment motion — even though he criticized Yoon’s declaration as “unconstitutional.” Han says there’s a need to “prevent damage to citizens and supporters caused by unprepared chaos.”
In a bombshell reversal, Han expresses support for suspending the constitutional powers of Yoon, saying that the president poses a “significant risk of extreme actions, like reattempting to impose martial law, which could potentially put the Republic of Korea and its citizens in great danger.”
Han says he received intelligence that Yoon had ordered the country’s counterintelligence commander to arrest and detain key politicians based on accusations of “anti-state activities” during the brief period martial law was in force.
A high-ranking spy official tells lawmakers that the politicians targeted for detainment included Han, National Assembly speaker Woo and opposition leader Lee.
In an interview with The Associated Press, Lee questions Yoon's mental fitness to remain president. He vows to make all-out efforts to get Yoon impeached as soon as possible.
Yoon apologizes and says he won’t shirk legal or political responsibility for declaring martial law. Yoon says he would leave it to his party to chart a course through the country’s political turmoil, “including matters related to my term in office.”
Yoon survives an impeachment vote that most ruling party lawmakers boycotted, denying the motion the required two-thirds majority.
The Democratic Party vows to prepare a new impeachment motion.
Prosecutors detain the former defense minister over his alleged role in planning and executing Yoon’s martial law enforcement.
South Korea’s Justice Ministry bans Yoon from traveling overseas as police, prosecutors and South Korea's anti-corruption agency expand competing investigations into allegations of rebellion and other charges in connection with his martial law decree.
Kwak Jong-keun, commander of the Army Special Warfare Command whose troops were sent to parliament after Yoon declared martial law, tells parliament that he received direct instructions from the former defense minister, Kim, to obstruct lawmakers from entering the National Assembly’s main chamber. He says Kim’s instructions were to prevent the 300-member parliament from gathering the 150 votes necessary to overturn Yoon’s martial law order.
Kwak says Yoon later called him directly and asked for the troops to “quickly destroy the door and drag out the lawmakers who are inside.” Kwak says he did not carry out Yoon’s orders.
Kim, the former defense minister, is formally arrested over his alleged collusion with Yoon and others in imposing martial law. The Justice Ministry says Kim was stopped from attempting suicide hours before a Seoul court issued his arrest warrant.
South Korean police send officers to search Yoon’s office to look for evidence related to the martial law introduction but they are blocked by Yoon’s security team from entering the compound.
Police detain the national police chief and the top officer for Seoul over their roles in enforcing Yoon’s martial law orders.
Yoon defends his martial law decree as an act of governance and denies rebellion charges, vowing to “fight to the end” in the face of attempts to impeach him. Opposition parties submit a new impeachment motion against him for a floor vote this weekend.
Parliament also passes motions to impeach national police chief Cho Ji Ho and Justice Minister Park Sung Jae, suspending them from official duties, over their alleged roles in the enforcement of martial law.
South Korea's National Assembly votes 204-85 to impeach Yoon.
Yoon says he will “never give up” and calls for officials to maintain stability in government functions during what he described as a “temporary” pause of his presidency. With his powers suspended, his fate now lies with the Constitutional Court, which must decide whether to formally remove him from office or reinstate him.