Thousands rally for S Korea’s impeached ex-president

SEOUL: Thousands protested in the South Korean capital Saturday in support of disgraced ex-president Yoon Suk Yeol, who was removed from office a day earlier over his bungled martial law declaration.

South Korea’s Constitutional Court unanimously ruled on Friday to remove Yoon over the December 3 attempt to subvert civilian rule, triggering fresh elections to be held by June after months of political turmoil.

A long wait for the court’s ruling had heightened tensions in the Asian nation, fuelling far-right support for Yoon and weekly rival rallies in capital Seoul. His supporters took to the streets in the capital and braved the rain on Saturday, chanting “impeachment is invalid!” and “nullify the snap election!” “The Constitutional Court’s decision destroyed our country’s free democracy,” said protester Yang Joo-young, 26. “Speaking as someone in my 20s or 30s, I’m deeply worried about the future.”

Yoon had defended his martial law attempt as necessary to root out “anti-state forces” and what he claimed were threats from North Korea. But there were many scenes of jubilation in Seoul on Friday from those opposed to Yoon’s rule, with people hugging and crying after the ruling was delivered. Yet Yoon had found backing from extreme religious figures and right-wing YouTubers who experts say used misinformation to court support for the former star prosecutor.

“Yoon’s presidency has revealed the societal cracks based on political polarisation and misinformation,” Minseon Ku, a postdoctoral fellow at William & Mary Global Research Institute, told AFP. The court ruled that Yoon’s actions in December had posed a “grave threat” to the country’s stability.

Opposition leader Lee Jae-myung is seen as the frontrunner in the next election, experts say, and his party has taken a more conciliatory approach towards North Korea.

Some Yoon supporters were worried about the prospect of a Lee presidency. “I honestly believe South Korea is finished,” said pro-Yoon supporter Park Jong-hwan, 59. “It feels like we’ve already transitioned into a socialist, communist state.”