South Korea votes for new president after failed martial law bid

BBC News

2 days ago

Update:
Date: 22:33 BST
Title: How did we get here?
Content: Anti-Yoon protesters gather for the constitutional court's verdict on Yoon's impeachment on 4 April
South Korea descended into political turmoil last December after former President Yoon Suk Yeol declared martial law.
Yoon said he was protecting the country from "anti-state" forces that sympathised with North Korea - but it soon became clear that he was spurred by his own political troubles.
The military takeover, which stunned the world, was voted down overnight.
The turbulent months that followed saw parliament vote to impeach Yoon and prosecutors charge him with insurrection.
The country also saw days and nights of protests in the chilly temperatures, with tens of thousands of people calling for Yoon to be removed from office. His supporters showed up in similar measure demanding that he stays.
On 4 April, the constitutional court upheld Yoon's impeachment and permanently removed him from office, paving the way for today's election.
Update:
Date: 22:32 BST
Title: Key events leading to today's election
Content: South Koreans protest on 14 December 2024
Here is the timeline of key events that led to this snap election:
3 December: Former President Yoon Suk Yeol declares emergency martial law in a late night televised address. Heavily-armed troops surround the National Assembly to block lawmakers from entering.
4 December: Just past 01:00 local time, 190 lawmakers, including 18 from Yoon's own party, voted to overturn the law. Yoon rescinds his order about three hours later.
7 December: Opposition lawmakers try to impeach Yoon for the first time but fail after a boycott by members of his conservative People Power Party.
12 December: Yoon defends his martial law order, saying he did it to protect the country's democracy. He vows to "fight to the end".
14 December: Amid days and nights of protests - both by Yoon's supporters and detractors - the National Assembly votes to impeach Yoon.
31 December: A district court issues a detention warrant for Yoon.
15 January: Some 3,000 police officers manage to detain Yoon at his heavily-fortified residence. This is their second attempt. In the first, hundreds of them faced a six-hour deadlock with his security detail.
19 January: The court grants a formal arrest warrant for Yoon, leading a mob of his supporters to riot, some even breaking into the courthouse.
26 January: Prosecutors indict Yoon on charges of leading an insurrection using his martial law bid.
4 April: The constitutional court upholds Yoon's impeachment and formally removes him as president. Authorities announce the following week that a snap election will be held on 3 June.
Update:
Date: 22:30 BST
Title: South Koreans head to the polls
Content: It's election day in South Korea, where voters are choosing the country's next president after months of unprecedented political turmoil.
It started in December, when former president Yoon Suk Yeol placed the country under martial law. It sparked an impeachment trial that led to his removal from office and for a snap election to be held today.
Yoon's martial law and impeachment highlighted deep divisions in South Korean society and large protests have been staged for and against him.
For South Koreans, today's vote offers an opportunity to restore stability and forge ahead.
There are five candidates, but Democratic Party's Lee Jae-myung holds a strong lead over his rivals. Lee had lost to Yoon in 2022 by a razor-thin margin.
Whoever gets elected president will have to deal with issues ranging from US tariffs to tensions with North Korea and a declining birth rate.
Join us as our teams across South Korea, Singapore and the US bring you the latest updates as they come.