Rival rallies erupt in South Korea before ruling on president’s impeachment 

Large numbers of South Koreans have gathered across the capital, Seoul, to support or oppose impeached President Yoon Suk-yeol ahead of a court decision on whether his martial law declaration disqualifies him from office.

On Saturday, anti-Yoon protesters filled a large square in central Seoul and chanted for his immediate removal. A few streets away, conservative Yoon supporters took up an entire avenue and called for his return while waving South Korean and United States flags.

In a few days, the Constitutional Court is expected to decide whether to oust Yoon after he attempted to declare martial law in December 2024, rattling markets and igniting the country’s worst political crisis.

If the court rules against Yoon, he will be officially thrown out of office, and a national election for a successor will be held within two months.

Yoon is also on trial on a criminal charge of insurrection, but he was freed from detention last week.

The former president’s martial law imposition and its fallout widened deep social rifts between conservatives and liberals, which in turn put pressure on institutions and the military on whether to impose the order.

Since then, pro and anti-Yoon protests have taken to the streets in the hundreds of thousands weekly.

On Friday, a Gallup Korea poll found that 58 percent of respondents supported Yoon’s impeachment, while 37 percent opposed it.

Song Young-sun, a 48-year-old protester, told the Reuters news agency that Yoon’s release from jail last week was “incredibly” frustrating.

“So this week I came here, hoping that the Constitutional Court will rule on the impeachment case next week,” Song said.

However, Kim Hyung-joon, a 70-year-old pro-Yoon protester, told Reuters that he hoped the court would make a “precise judgement and dismiss the case”.

But, the court’s most significant issue to resolve and decide upon is why Yoon sent hundreds of soldiers and police officers to the National Assembly after declaring martial law.

While Yoon has said he wanted to maintain order, some top military and police officers sent there said the president ordered them to drag out politicians to block an assembly vote about his decree or detain his political rivals.