Acting Chief Justice of the Constitutional Court of South Korea Moon Hyung-bae announced the decision to remove Mr. Yoon Suk Yeol from the position of President for martial law issued in December 2024 in a live broadcast on April 4, 2025, Yonhap reported.
The decision to remove President Yoon Suk Yeol will take effect immediately, requiring South Korea to hold an extraordinary presidential election to select the successor to Mr. Yoon Suk Yeol within 60 days.
According to this deadline, the election in South Korea is scheduled to take place on June 3.
Mr. Yoon Suk Yeol was impeached by the opposition-controlled National Assembly in mid-December on charges of violating the Constitution and the law when declaring martial law on December 3, 2024, deploying troops to the National Assembly to prevent lawmakers from voting to reject the decree and issue arrest warrants.
Mr. Yoon Suk Yeol has denied all allegations.
According to Yonhap, police deployed about 7,000 personnel near the Constitutional Court and around Jongno Ward in Seoul on April 4 when authorities issued a verdict on the impeachment of President Yoon Suk Yeol.
About 2,000 police were deployed to Hannam-dong, Seoul, where the presidential palace is located, and about 1,300 police to Yeouido, south of Seoul.
The Gapho alert - the highest alert level for police - took effect early in the day, putting all police officers in emergency waiting mode and commanders ready to issue orders.
South Korean police also plan to deploy about 20,000 personnel from 338 units nationwide, of which about 14,000 are deployed in Seoul, especially near Gwanghwamun and the presidential palace, to increase security.
Police have surrounded the peripheral area of the Constitutional Court with police vehicles to stop protests and deploy special forces units near the court.
All forms of protest are banned in the area. Passersby are prohibited from moving on the street in front of the Constitutional Court.
Police teams stationed near the court are equipped with du vi, capsaicin (a substance extracted from chili) to prevent emergency situations.
Security forces were also deployed to protect the judges.
