SEOUL: Thousands protested in the South Korean capital on 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 Dec 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 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 a protester.

“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.

Published in Dawn, April 6th, 2025