General
Monday Briefing: South Korea’s Power Vacuum
Plus, how travel benefits us.
Protesters outside the National Assembly in Seoul on Saturday.Credit…Jun Michael Park for The New York Times
After impeachment, South Korea is left without an elected leader
After South Korea’s National Assembly voted to impeach President Yoon Suk Yeol on Saturday, people celebrated his removal from office, even as the country was left with a political vacuum at the top that could last for months.
Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, the No. 2 official in the government hierarchy, has stepped in as the interim leader. A new government cannot be formed until the Constitutional Court decides whether to reinstate or formally oust Yoon, but three of its nine seats are vacant. The National Assembly is expected to name three justices, and to ask Han to formally appoint them.
The court’s deliberations could take up to six months. If Yoon is formally removed, South Korea will need another two months to elect a new president.
Yoon, who said he would “never give up” the fight to return to office, also faces investigations on charges including insurrection, which could lead to his arrest. Prosecutors said they asked Yoon to present himself yesterday for questioning, but he did not show up.
Need to catch up on the latest? Choe Sang-Hun, our Seoul bureau chief, explained Yoon’s impeachment and the troubles that may await him and the country.
Background: Before his failed attempt at imposing martial law, Yoon had alienated much of the country. Here’s a timeline of how he lost his country’s trust.
