South Korean President vows to fight after impeachment vote
South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol (Photo: Getty Images)
On Saturday, December 14, the South Korean parliament voted to impeach the president. However, the head of state, Yoon Suk Yeol, has vowed to fight for his political future, Reuters reports.
"Although I am stopping for now, the journey I have walked with the people over the past two and a half years toward the future must never come to a halt. I will never give up," said Yoon.
The agency writes that the Constitutional Court will decide on removing the current head of state within the next six months. If he is removed from office, early elections will be scheduled.
Reuters also notes that Yoon is the second consecutive conservative president of South Korea to face impeachment. Previously, in 2017, Park Geun-hye was also removed from office.
It should be noted that, due to the impeachment, the presidential powers in South Korea have been assumed by the country's Prime Minister, Han Duck-soo.
He has already ordered the military to enhance defense capabilities to prevent provocations from North Korea. He also asked the Minister of Foreign Affairs to inform other countries that South Korea's core foreign policy remains unchanged. Meanwhile, the Finance Minister has been tasked with minimizing potential negative economic impacts from the political turmoil.
Additionally, the reason for the president's impeachment was Yoon Suk Yeol's declaration of martial law in the country on December 3. The state of emergency lasted about six hours and was unrelated to any military threat. After the incident, Yoon apologized to the public.
