Quotes
Given the serious negative impact and far-reaching consequences of the respondent's constitutional violations... [We] dismiss respondent President Yoon Suk Yeol,
acting court leader Moon Hyung-bae said while announcing the ruling
The confirmation of impeachment will help stabilize this country,
said Wang Son-taek, an adjunct professor at Sogang University in Seoul
When the dismissal was finally declared, the cheers were so loud it felt like the rally was being swept away,
Kim Min-ji, a 25-year-old anti-Yoon protester, told AFP_(cropped)_-_Kim_Hyung-tae.jpg)
If people start refusing to accept any election outcome that is unfavourable to them, the other side will start doing the same,
said Kim Tae-hyung, a professor at Soongsil University in Seoul
The defendant president Yoon Suk Yeol is hereby removed from office,
When Moon finally uttered the words ... the crowd erupted with cheersIf martial law had been maintained, South Koreans would have faced the risk of arrest and detention without trial as well as severe restrictions on their freedom of expression and assembly, among other human rights violations. The constitutional court’s ruling was a decisive step to uphold human rights protections and democratic values.”
It addedGiven the negative impact on constitutional order caused by the defendant’s violation of laws and its ripple effects are grave, we find that the benefits of upholding the constitution by dismissing the defendant far outweigh the national losses from the dismissal of the president,
the justice concluded
By declaring martial law in breach of the constitution and other laws, the defendant brought back the history of abusing state emergency decrees, shocked the people and caused confusion in the society, economy, politics, diplomacy and all other areas,
Moon saidPolitical risks related to domestic polarization and policy instability remain,
Leif-Eric Easley, a professor at Ewha University in Seoul, saidIt will be an uphill battle for the conservative party to win a snap presidential election,
said Duyeon Kim, a Seoul-based fellow with the Center for a New American Security
This is the day I’ve been waiting for over the past four months of protesting,
said Jang Jaeeuk, 21, who saidSouth Korea has managed to avoid the worst outcomes and can see light at the end of a long political crisis,
Leif-Eric Easley, a professor of international studies at Ewha Womans University in Seoul, said about Friday’s rulingI am regretful and sorry that I could not live up to your expectations.”
But he did not comment directly on the court’s ruling, only saying
Whoever wins the next election will face the daunting challenges of bringing together a deeply fractured society, as well as dealing with Trump’s tariffs,
said Mr. Hahm
Today marks the beginning of a true South Korea,
said Lee Jae-myung, the main opposition leader, who campaigned for Mr. Yoon’s removalThis is a victory for South Korean democracy,
said Sung Deuk Hahm, dean of the Graduate School of Political Studies at Kyonggi University, remembering how South Koreans had sacrificed their lives to oppose military rule in the pastThe decision was to be expected and for the purposes of the stability this is the best outcome because declaring martial law back in December was an insane act,
said Kim Sang-woo, a former politician with the left-leaning South Korean Congress for New Politics and now a member of the board of the Kim Dae-jung Peace Foundation
Clearly, the quality of ordinary people's lives varies greatly depending on their leadership and I believe this ruling is an important milestone that strengthens Korean democracy,
Lee addedNow begins a compressed presidential election campaign that will stretch, if not tear, the social fabric of the country,
Easley saidAlthough the entire nation witnessed the events of December 3, it took an excessively long time to reach a decision on impeachment,
said Hyobin Lee, a professor at Sogang University in Seoul