헌법재판소 윤석열 탄핵 인용. 파면 , 외신 보도 CNN, New York Times, 알 자지라, 가디언 등
백악관에서 조 바이든의 초대를 받은 윤석열이 어메리컨 파이 American pie 노래를 불렀던 윤석열이 탄핵당했다고 보도.
스타 검사에서 몰락했다.
갤럽 여론조사, 60% 이상 한국인들이 윤석열 파면에 찬성했다.
알 자지라 보도, 헌법재판소 주변 학교 휴업, 경찰의 철통 안전 대비 보도.
cnn 보도
뉴욕 타임즈
cnn.
Yoon Suk Yeol: The ‘American Pie’-singing conservative dramatically ousted from office
Helen Regan
By Helen Regan, CNN
6 minute read
Published 10:59 PM EDT, Thu April 3, 2025
Yoon Suk Yeol arrives to a meeting with the president of Peru in 2024.
Yoon Suk Yeol arrives to a meeting with the president of Peru in 2024. Klebher Vasquez/Anadolu/Getty Images
Seoul, South Korea
CNN
—
Declaring martial law in a stable and boisterous democracy was an audacious gamble – and one that backfired spectacularly for former South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol.
With Friday’s guilty impeachment verdict from the country’s Constitutional Court, the former prosecutor and conservative firebrand’s political career is likely over, especially because Yoon still faces criminal charges that could land him in prison for life.
Dramatic scenes from South Korea one Tuesday night in December showed military helicopters landing near the National Assembly in the capital Seoul, soldiers breaking through windows to try to prevent lawmakers from gathering, and protesters confronting riot police.
But the declaration was unsuccessful. TV stations and news media continued to report unhindered, people traveled freely and there were no mass arrests. When lawmakers voted to overturn Yoon’s surprise decree, security forces backed away.
In the months since, life in the South Korean capital essentially returned to normal. Businesses and restaurants were busy, streets crowded with residents and the city’s usual throngs of tourists – though large, loud demonstrations for and against Yoon were frequent as the court considered his case.
Despite that return to normalcy, Yoon’s short-lived declaration of martial law felt like an attack to the heart of the country’s democracy. As they peacefully marched through Seoul in December, protesters expressed revulsion at the move, describing Yoon’s actions to CNN as a “betrayal” and “an embarrassment,” demanding his resignation and arrest.
At one rally in the capital shortly after Yoon’s late-night declaration, teacher Kyung-soo said Yoon’s attacks on his opponents – including calling them “communist forces” – were “the behavior of a dictator and clearly clashes with the wishes of the people.”
Two years ago, Yoon was serenading then United States President Joe Biden with a rendition of “American Pie” by Don McLean at a White House state dinner and toasting their “ironclad” relationship.
His extreme decision surprised even the US – which has a decades-old mutual defense treaty with South Korea – with one senior Biden administration official telling CNN they were “seriously concerned by what we are seeing develop.”
As a nation still tries to understand why Yoon chose the extreme option of martial law, many are relieved that the fiasco may well be remembered as when democracy was threatened in South Korea, but ultimately survived.
Who is Yoon, and what was he thinking?
Yoon, a political newcomer, took office in 2022 with the conservative People Power Party, winning the presidential election by a margin of less than 1%.
He had spent almost 30 years as a prosecutor, leading high-profile investigations into corruption scandals that included a graft probe against former President Park Geun-hye that led to her impeachment and landed her in prison.
On the campaign trail, Yoon appealed to the country’s growing anti-feminist movement, and committed to abolishing the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family, which he claimed is unfair to men.
And while his predecessor Moon Jae-in favored dialogue with North Korea, Yoon took a tougher stance, promising to bulk up the South’s military, and even hinting he would launch a preemptive strike if he saw signs of a launch against Seoul.
In office, Yoon clashed fiercely with the opposition. Last year, opposition parties overwhelmingly won elections seen as a referendum on Yoon’s rule and took control of the National Assembly.
This left him a lame-duck president prevented from moving forward on legislation to cut taxes and ease business regulations, as his main rivals in the Democratic Party used parliament to impeach key cabinet members and hold up a budget bill.
It was this gridlock that Yoon used to try to justify his fateful decree.
In his speech declaring martial law, he labeled the opposition’s actions “clear anti-state behavior aimed at inciting rebellion” and referenced “threats posed by North Korea’s communist forces,” vowing to “eliminate anti-state elements.”
Former foreign minister Kyung-wha Kang told CNN that the idea of communist sympathizers or anti-state agents scheming to overthrow the government was “completely unrelated to anything I can see happening in the country.”
While Yoon had previously “claimed to advocate for fairness and common sense” as president, “his words and actions reflect a dictator’s,” said Park Sung-min, analyst at Min Consulting in Seoul.
“It seems like a political suicide.”
But Yoon’s eventual decision to rescind the decree showed he was “not a man who’s trying to seize power, or create a second term, or prolong his rule,” said Sydney Seiler, senior adviser for the Center for Strategic and International Studies.
“From the ruling party’s perspective, (he’s) trying to get the ball moving. He probably thought he had much more support within the ruling party for his actions than he actually did.”
Designer handbag at center of controversy
Observers say Yoon’s decision to declare martial law may have been more self-serving.
After taking office, he faced plummeting approval ratings over economic issues and a series of scandals involving his wife and political appointments that prompted calls for him to resign.
First Lady Kim Keon Hee was accused in 2023 of accepting a $2,200 Christian Dior bag as a gift – a potential violation of anti-graft laws. A secretly filmed video that surfaced online purported to show Kim receiving a cloud-blue “Lady Dior Pouch” from a Korean-American pastor.
The first lady is no stranger to controversy. Over the past few years, she has apologized for resumé-padding and has faced allegations ranging from academic plagiarism to stock manipulation, which the presidential office has repeatedly denied.
The main opposition Democratic Party accused Yoon of “concealing suspicions” surrounding his wife, and the mounting public backlash even caused a rift between Yoon and senior members of his party.
“Yoon tends to act more on instinct than rationality, embodying a reckless ‘lonely hero’ persona,” said Ahn Byung-jin, professor at the global academy for future civilizations at Kyung Hee University.
“He perceives the current situation as an existential crisis, especially with attempts to impeach members of his cabinet, cut the budget, and push for special investigations against his wife. He believes he is seriously cornered.”
What comes next for Yoon?
Yoon is now the second president to be ousted by the Constitutional Court – and the shortest-serving elected leader in the nation’s democratic history.
And his legal troubles are not over. In a separate case, Yoon was arrested in January on charges of leading an insurrection, then released in March after a court canceled his arrest warrant – though it did not drop the charges.
Insurrection is one of the few criminal charges a president does not have immunity from – and is punishable by life imprisonment or death, although South Korea has not executed anyone in decades.
The indictment had alleged that Yoon’s imposition of martial law – during which he sent troops to parliament, with commanders testifying they were ordered to “drag out” lawmakers – was an illegal attempt to shut down the National Assembly and arrest politicians and election authorities.
For some South Koreans, such as pastor Kwak Dong-seok, Yoon has worked to address economic issues, and is correct in his claims of “anti-state” forces in the country.
“Martial law is often criticized as excessive, but in some cases, it has been justified as a measure to prevent the establishment of a communist regime,” said Kwak, who organizes regular conservative rallies and political activities.
But others say Yoon’s decision shows how far removed he was from public sentiment.
“Korean democracy started late, but we made it by ourselves and are very proud of it,” said school principal Kim Hyeon. Yoon’s attempt at martial law demonstrates that “the president’s way of thinking doesn’t match our society,” she said.
Many say the botched martial law and subsequent democratic proceedings show that South Korean democracy is alive and well.
“Korean democracy has the awareness and capability to prevent any impulsive actions by a dictator,” said Park from Min Consulting.
CNN’s Brad Lendon, Hanna Park, Eunseo Jeong, Jessie Yeung, Rebecca Wright, Ivan Watson, Nectar Gan, Gawon Bae, Yoonjung Seo, and Antoinette Radford contributed reporting.
Guardian
South Korea president Yoon Suk Yeol removed from office after court upholds impeachment
The court said Yoon had ‘committed a grave betrayal of the trust of the people’ over his ill-fated declaration of martial law in December
Yoon Suk Yeol impeachment – live updates
Justin McCurry in Osaka
Fri 4 Apr 2025 04.39 BST
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South Korea’s suspended president, Yoon Suk Yeol, has been removed from office after the country’s constitutional court voted unanimously to uphold parliament’s decision to impeach him over his ill-fated declaration of martial law in December.
After weeks of deliberations and growing concerns about the future of South Korea’s democracy, all eight justices voted to strip Yoon of his presidential powers.
The ruling means that the acting president, Han Duck-soo, will remain in office until South Koreans elect a new leader within 60 days.
Han vowed to ensure “there are no gaps in national security and diplomacy” and to maintain public safety and order until the vote.
“Respecting the will of our sovereign people, I will do my utmost to manage the next presidential election in accordance with the constitution and the law, ensuring a smooth transition to the next administration,” he said in a televised address.
While anti-Yoon protesters celebrated the court’s decision – many of them in tears – media reports said some of his supporters had starting damaging police vehicles near the court building.
Impeached South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol at an earlier hearing in Seoul
Impeached South Korean president Yoon Suk Yeol at an earlier hearing in Seoul Photograph: Kim Hong-Ji/AP
In the court ruling, broadcast live, the acting chief justice, Moon Hyung-bae, said the decision had been unanimous. “We hereby pronounce the following ruling, with the unanimous agreement of all Justices.“(We) dismiss respondent President Yoon Suk Yeol.”
As crowds outside hung onto his every word, Moon said Yoon had violated his duty as president by taking actions that were beyond the powers granted to him under the constitution. Yoon’s actions, he added, had constituted a serious challenge to democracy.
“(Yoon) committed a grave betrayal of the trust of the people, who are the sovereign members of the democratic republic,” Moon said, adding by declaring martial law, Yoon had created chaos in all areas of society, the economy and foreign policy.
Moon said: “The defendant not only declared martial law, but also violated the constitution and laws by mobilizing military and police forces to obstruct the exercise of legislative authority. Ultimately, the declaration of martial law in this case violated the substantive requirements for emergency martial law.
“Given the grave negative impact on constitutional order and the significant ripple effects of the defendant’s violations, we find that the benefits of upholding the constitution by removing the defendant from office far outweigh the national losses from the removal of a president.”
Yoon, who was not in court for the ruling, cannot appeal and must now turn his attention to a separate criminal trial – linked to his martial law declaration – on charges of insurrection.
His ruling party said it “solemnly accepts” the constitutional court’s decision. “It is regrettable, but the People Power party solemnly accepts and humbly respects the constitutional court’s decision,” lawmaker Kwon Young-se said. “We extend our sincere apologies to the people.”
One of Yoon’s lawyers, Yoon Kap-keun, remained defiant, however, describing the judgement as “completely incomprehensible” and a “purely political decision”.
The long-awaited decision on Yoon’s late-night order to impose martial law in early December has exposed deep divisions in South Korean society and alarmed the US and other allies.
His opponents and supporters have held large rallies in recent days, although an unprecedented police presence meant protesters were unable to access the immediate vicinity of the court building on Friday. Reports said that 14,000 police officers had been deployed in the capital in anticipation of possible violence, irrespective of which way the court ruled.
Yoon’s supporters and lawyers argued that the impeachment proceedings were illegal and that he should be immediately returned to office, three years after the conservative populist was voted to lead Asia’s fourth-biggest economy.
A Gallup Korea poll released last week showed 60% of South Koreans said he should be permanently removed from office. His opponents have accused the former prosecutor of abusing his presidential powers in an attempt to suspend democratic institutions and take the country back into its dark authoritarian past.
The opposition-controlled national assembly voted to impeach Yoon in mid-December, a fortnight after he imposed martial law in an attempt, he claimed, to prevent “anti-state” opposition forces with North Korean sympathies from destroying the country.
Yoon was forced to lift the edict after only six hours, however, after lawmakers defied efforts by security forces to seal off parliament and voted to reject it. Yoon has claimed he never intended to fully impose emergency military rule and has tried to downplay the chaos, pointing out that no one was killed or injured.
Yoon became the second South Korean president to be removed from office through impeachment after Park Geun-hye in 2017. If found guilty in his criminal trial, he faces life imprisonment or the death penalty, although South Korea has not carried out an execution since the late 1990s.
