Yoon impeached over Constitution

[Anchor]

The key reason the judges decided to impeach President Yoon was ultimately the 'Constitution.'

The Constitutional Court stated that President Yoon neglected his duty to uphold the Constitution and caused immeasurable harm to democracy.

Reporter Kim Tae-hoon has the story.

[Report]

"The Republic of Korea is a democratic republic." This is Article 1, Section 1 of the Constitution of the Republic of Korea.

It is also the first provision cited in the conclusion of the impeachment ruling against former President Yoon Suk Yeol.

The constitutional judges evaluated that former President Yoon directly violated this fundamental principle of democracy and caused immeasurable harm to democracy.

They stated that his declaration of emergency martial law was aimed at resolving conflict with the opposition by deploying military force—an unconstitutional attempt to exclude not only the opposition party but also the will of the citizens who supported it.

[Moon Hyung-bae/Acting Chief Justice of the Constitutional Court: "This act has brought back memories of past abuses of emergency powers, shocking the public and creating chaos across the political, economic, social, and diplomatic spheres."]

The court also made clear that the declaration of martial law was unconstitutional both in substance and procedure.

Even if one were to view the opposition-led National Assembly’s exercise of power as a “tyranny of the majority,” the justices emphasized that such conflicts should have been resolved within the framework of the law—through constitutional means such as national referendums, proposing bills through the government, or filing for the dissolution of political parties.

Three years ago, Yoon pledged to protect the Constitution when he took office.

[Yoon Suk Yeol/Former President/2022: "I solemnly swear to uphold the Constitution and defend the state…."]

The constitutional judges unanimously decided to impeach former President Yoon, stating that he neglected his duty to uphold the Constitution and seriously betrayed the trust of the people.

This is KBS News, Kim Tae-hoon.