“RACE IN THE COURTS”
Yoon’s impeachment is unlikely to end the political turmoil, analysts warned.
“It is not even the beginning of the end,” said Leif-Eric Easley, a professor at Ewha University in Seoul.
Opposition leader Lee, who narrowly lost to Yoon in 2022 and is favoured to win an election to replace him, is also in legal jeopardy, with a conviction on appeal and other rulings pending that could disqualify him from office.
“So before the final race in the polls, there will be a race in the courts,” Easley said.
Illustrating the divisions, the political crisis has stirred on the streets. One Yoon supporter said he would leave the country if the constitutional court backed Yoon’s impeachment.
“It breaks my heart and makes me feel despair to see lawmakers trying to depose the president,” said Lee Sang-eun, a 69-year-old retired professor.
But at an anti-Yoon rally, another resident, Lee Hoy-yeol, 46, called for Yoon to resign to ensure a swift resolution “for the sake of the people of South Korea”.
When first elected, Yoon was widely welcomed in Washington and other Western capitals for his rhetoric defending global democracy and freedom, but critics said this masked growing problems at home.
He clashed with opposition lawmakers, calling them “anti-state forces”. Press freedom organisations have criticised his heavy handed approach to media coverage that he deems negative.
The ensuing crisis and uncertainty have shaken financial markets and threatened to undermine South Korea’s reputation as a stable, democratic success story.
South Korea’s finance minister will convene an emergency meeting on the economy on Sunday, while the foreign minister met with the US ambassador and other senior diplomats met with the ambassadors from Japan and China to reassure continuity in foreign policy, the ministries said.
“I think the most important thing is that the Republic of Korea has demonstrated its democratic resilience,” US Secretary of State Antony Blinken told reporters on Saturday.
“We’ve seen it follow a peaceful process laid out in its constitution, and we’re ready to work with president Han as he assumes office.”
