South Koreans anxious, angry as court to rule on impeached president

SEOUL - South Korea’s Constitutional Court is set to rule on April 4 on whether to strip impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol of office over his abortive declaration of martial law which plunged the country into political chaos.

Mr Yoon, who has defended his Dec 3 attempt to subvert civilian rule as necessary to root out “anti-state forces”, still commands the backing of die-hard supporters, who have staged protests for weeks in the run-up to the verdict.

But tens of thousands of demonstrators have also poured into the streets every weekend demanding the court remove him. They say that a failure to act could endanger the democracy their country has enjoyed since 1987, following years of dictatorships.

AFP spoke to people in Seoul about how they feel.

No election fraud

Mr Lee Jae-hee, 47, said he hoped the court would uphold Mr Yoon’s impeachment.

“I’ve learned that the foundation of the rule of law is common sense,” the welfare worker told AFP.

“I don’t think President Yoon has ever acted in that spirit. That’s why I believe he needs to be fully impeached.”

Mr Lee Jae-hee said he hoped the court would uphold Mr Yoon’s impeachment.PHOTO: AFP

On the night of Mr Yoon’s martial law declaration, he sent armed soldiers to parliament and the country’s election commission to hunt for purported evidence of voter fraud.

Experts have widely criticised the targeting of the bureaucracy of the country’s electoral system, saying there was no evidence of fraud beyond widespread internet conspiracies.

“His break-in at the election commission under martial law cannot be justified under any presidential authority,” Lee said.

Faith in public service shaken

Retiree Kim Han-il, 66, told AFP that Yoon deserved to be removed from office as he had “broken his commitment to public service”.

Mr Kim Han-il in Seoul on April 2, two days before the Constitutional Court is due to decide whether to remove President Yoon Suk Yeol from office.PHOTO: AFP

“I believe the Constitutional Court justices have a level of common sense higher than that of the average citizen,” he said, adding that he was sure the court would strip Yoon of his office.

“I never once thought they would dismiss the impeachment. I trust they would deliberate based on common sense.”

‘Too many Communists’

Mr Huh, 71, a retiree who gave only his last name, said he hoped the court would dismiss the impeachment and that Yoon would be reinstated.

“Yoon’s martial law decree was within his presidential powers,” he told AFP.

Mr Huh, a retiree who gave only his last name, said he hoped the court would dismiss the impeachment and that Yoon would be reinstated. PHOTO: AFP

“The parliament is currently filled with lawmakers elected through fraudulent elections,” he added, citing widely debunked claims that the country’s 2024 vote was tainted by fraud.

“As president, he had no choice but to declare martial law to put the country back on the right path,” he said, arguing there are “too many Communists in this country”.

‘Stupid reasons’

For Keven Lee, 56, the court should uphold Yoon’s impeachment to prevent a repeat of the madness of martial law.

“He declared martial law for stupid reasons and armed soldiers stormed the parliament,” Mr Lee, who is self-employed, told AFP.

“He must be ousted quickly and we need to elect someone new. If he returns to office, he’ll declare martial law again and we can’t let that happen,” he added.

Mr Yoon spent weeks resisting official efforts to question him and then used his presidential bodyguard to resist arrest, before he was finally detained in a dawn raid in January.

He was later released on procedural grounds, but still faces criminal prosecution, separate from his impeachment trial.

“If he’s reinstated, there will be an uprising,” Mr Lee added.

Unanimous decision?

Song Ji-hye, 41, said she was sure the court would make a unanimous decision to remove Mr Yoon.

“Just like football has clear rules, politics does too - and Yoon broke those rules by trying to take over the parliament with military force,” she said.

Ms Song Ji-hye said she was sure the court would make a unanimous decision to remove Mr Yoon. PHOTO: AFP

“What’s also troubling is that this hasn’t been resolved sooner,” she added, pointing to the court’s lengthy deliberation period despite growing public unrest.

“If the impeachment is dismissed, people will return to the streets to make their demands heard,” Ms Song, who works for a civic group, told AFP.

‘Immediately ousted’

Hwang Gum-cheol, an 80-year-old retiree, said he hoped Mr Yoon would be stripped of power by the court.

“I want to see Yoon immediately ousted. We can’t afford to have another president who dreams of staging a coup,” he said.

Mr Hwang Gum-cheol (centre) said he hoped Mr Yoon would be stripped of power by the court.PHOTO: AFP

“To protect our democracy, he must be removed and punished. He should face the death penalty,” he told AFP, but added that he would respect the court decision whatever it was.

“If the court reinstates him, I will accept it, though I’ll be deeply disappointed.” AFP

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