South Korea’s opposition-led parliament voted to impeach President Yoon Seok-yul on Saturday over his failed attempt to impose martial law.
However, a vote does not necessarily guarantee that he will be permanently removed from office. The BBC.
The entire impeachment process could take weeks, as the case is pending before the Constitutional Court.
Under the constitution, Prime Minister Han Deok-soo, appointed by Yoon, becomes acting president.
Yoon is the second conservative president in a row to be impeached in South Korea. Park Geun-hye was removed from office in 2017.
The move came after some members of Yun’s People’s Power Party, which holds 192 seats in the 300-member National Assembly, joined opposition parties, breaking the two-thirds threshold needed for impeachment.
The number of legislators supporting the impeachment was 204, of which 85 were against, three were absent and eight voted invalid.
Despite the suspension, Yoon remains in office. The Constitutional Court will decide on his removal sometime in the next six months.
If Yun is removed from office, snap elections will be called.
Yun shocked the nation late on December 3 when he gave the military emergency powers to root out “anti-state forces” and crack down on political opponents who obstructed the movement.
He later apologized to the nation but also defended his decision and resisted calls to resign before the vote.