South Korea's National Assembly passed a motion to impeach president Yoon Suk Yeol on 14 December, with South Korea's prime minister Han Duck-soo taking on the position of acting president.
The Constitutional Court of Korea will make a final decision within six months on whether to remove Yoon from office or restore his powers. If Yoon is removed or resigns, a presidential election must be held within 60 days.
Yoon "committed the crime of internal rebellion by abusing the right" to declare martial law, according to the National Assembly's impeachment motion, which called the martial law declaration an "unconstitutional and illegal act".
The impeachment requires the approval of more than two-thirds of the National Assembly and was passed with 204 votes in favour, out of 300 members present. This marks the second attempt to impeach Yoon, after the first vote to impeach Yoon on 7 December failed because only 195 members were present.
This came after Yoon declared martial law on 3 December and ended it about six hours later. He had faced widespread backlash after his declaration, with the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU) declaring indefinite strikes until Yoon is impeached.
Acting president Han on 14 December urged the entire cabinet to "do its utmost to solidify trust between South Korea and the US, Japan, and other allies, to dispel the concerns of the international community" according to South Korea's Office for Government Policy Coordination.
Ruling People Power Party leader Han Dong-hoon has also stepped down on 16 December, following Yoon's impeachment, according to state-funded news agency Yonhap. "It has become impossible to carry out my duties as party chief due to the collapse of the party's Supreme Council," he said.
