South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol was impeached on Saturday amid mass protests in the country. Following Yoon's ouster, Prime Minister Han Duck-soo will become the acting president.
Yoon last week survived an impeachment vote and this is the second time he is facing the motion. Yoon will now face South Korea's Constitutional Court, which will announce a verdict withn six months. If the court supports the ouster, Yoon will become the second president in the country to be impeached.
Why was Yoon Suk Yeol impeached?
Yoon Suk Yeol's impeachment come amid his controversial martial law decree to address a political deadlock. The martial law saw massive outrage in the country, with protesters calling for his resignation.
The Parliament, which is controlled by the opposition, rejected the martial law decree. The MPs sought Yoon's impeachment over alleged violation of law following which they voted him out at 4pm local time.
The South Korean Parliament has 300 seats and 204 MPs voted to impeach Yoon while 85 voted against the motion. Three MPs abstained while eight votes were invalid. The opposition Democratic Party has 192 seats and they needed eight more votes to secure a two-third majority. Reports said the motion was supported by 11 MPs from Yoon's People Power Party (PPP).
Yoon earlier said he will fight until the very last minute, alleging the country's opposition is in the same league as the communists in North Korea.
However, the opposition hit back at him, saying impeachment was the only way to protect the country's Constitution and South Korea's future. The protesters celebrated on streets after South Korean parliament passed the second impeachment motion on Saturday.