Der Amtsenthebungsantrag gegen Präsident Yoon Seok-yeol wurde von der Nationalversammlung angenommen und die Amtsgeschäfte des Präsidenten wurden ausgesetzt.

The impeachment motion against President Yoon Seok-yeol passed the National Assembly and the president’s duties were suspended.

On December 14, at 5 p.m. (Korean time), the National Assembly of the Republic of Korea passed the impeachment motion against President Yoon Seok-yeol. As soon as the impeachment motion is delivered to the Office of the President, President Yoon Seok-yeol’s duties (exercise of authority) will be suspended. (It will probably be suspended today).

The schedule for the rest of the process is as follows.

* During the period of suspension of duties, the Prime Minister (Han Deok-soo) will act as the acting president.
* The Constitutional Court will deliberate on the impeachment motion passed by the National Assembly, with a maximum deliberation period of 180 days.
* If the Constitutional Court upholds the impeachment motion, the President will be immediately removed from office.
* The next presidential election will be held within 60 days of the removal.
* The winner of the next presidential election will take office on the day after the election.

Although the legal deliberation period is a maximum of 180 days, the previous impeachment motion was deliberated within 2-3 months. This time, the charges are clear, so there is a possibility that the conclusion will be reached more quickly.

The Constitutional Court of Korea is operated by nine judges, and more than seven judges are required to make a decision on an impeachment motion, but there are currently only six. The three unappointed judges were the responsibility of the National Assembly (three from the President, three from the National Assembly, and three from the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court), so the National Assembly will appoint three additional judges as quickly as possible.

The trial of Yoon Seok-yeol for the crime of sedition (attempted coup) will also be held at the same time. The defense minister, the police chief, and several military commanders have already been detained. Under the Korean Constitution, the president is immune from criminal prosecution during his term, but insurrection is an exception. If necessary for the investigation, Yoon Seok-yeol may be imprisoned in prison as the president.

p.s. This is the third impeachment of a president in the past 20 years, so Koreans are quite familiar with this process. If you have any questions, please ask.