Who is Yoon Suk Yeol, the impeached South Korean president who declared martial law?
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President has thrown his country into political turmoil by briefly declaring martial law. Yoon Suk Yeol may become the first sitting president of South Korea to be arrested over his controversial 3 December martial law decree that plunged the country into political chaos.
![[A woman reacts among police officers during a protest outside the National Assembly after president Yoon Suk Yeol declared martial law]](https://static.independent.co.uk/2024/12/04/08/2024-12-04T060530Z_1436572190_RC2VHBARPTB5_RTRMADP_3_SOUTHKOREA-POLITICS.jpg)
The president, who was impeached on 14 December, evaded arrest on 3 January after his security guards prevented investigators from executing an arrest warrant issued by a Seoul court. South Korea was thrown into turmoil last month after Mr Yoon declared martial law, only to revoke it hours later under immense pressure.
![[A man looks at a newspaper report about South Korean president Yoon Suk Yeol’s martial law declaration]](https://static.independent.co.uk/2024/12/04/08/11755820.jpg)
The decree, which marked the first attempt to impose such measures in over four decades, has sparked calls for his resignation and left the nation’s political landscape in disarray. On 14 December the parliament voted to impeach president Mr Yoon as authorities investigated allegations of rebellion.
![[Protesters clash with police officers during a demonstration calling for the resignation and impeachment of South Korean president Yoon Suk Yeol]](https://static.independent.co.uk/2024/12/04/08/11755825.jpg)
The National Assembly passed the motion 204-85 in a floor vote. Mr Yoon’s presidential powers and duties will be suspended after the copies of a document on the impeachment are delivered to him and to the Constitutional Court. The court has up to 180 days to determine whether to dismiss Mr Yoon as president or restore his powers. If he’s thrown out of office, a national election to choose his successor must be held within 60 days.
![[Protesters demonstrate against the country’s president at the National Assembly on 4 December 2024 in Seoul]](https://static.independent.co.uk/2024/12/04/08/2188130897.jpg)
It was the second National Assembly vote on Mr Yoon’s impeachment motion. Last Saturday, Mr Yoon survived an impeachment vote after most ruling party lawmakers boycotted the floor vote. Some People Power Party lawmakers had since announced their intentions to vote for Mr Yoon’s impeachment in a second vote, as public protests against Mr Yoon intensified and his approval rating plummeted.
