SmallWhale

Impeachment of Yoon Suk Yeol

Imagine a country's leader being asked to leave their job by lawmakers! That's what happened to President Yoon Suk Yeol.

Images

Kim Yong-hyun testifying at Yoon Suk Yeol's impeachment trial

Kim Yong-hyun testifying at Yoon Suk Yeol's impeachment trial

openverse
2024 South Korean Vienna impeachment protests (2024-12-13) 1
Candlelight rally to impeach President Yoon Suk Yeol at Nat'l Assembly on December 4, 2024 01
Kim Yong-hyun testifying at the fourth hearing of President Yoon Suk Yeol's impeachment trial
2024 South Korean Vienna impeachment protests (2024-12-13) 6
2024 South Korean Vienna impeachment protests (2024-12-13) 4
2024 South Korean Vienna impeachment protests (2024-12-13) 3
Candlelight rally to impeach President Yoon Suk Yeol at Nat'l Assembly on December 4, 2024 02
2024 South Korean Vienna impeachment protests (2024-12-13) 2
President Yoon Suk Yeol's final statement in the impeachment trial (cropped)
2024 South Korean Vienna impeachment protests (2024-12-13) 5
Lee Sang-min testifying at President Yoon Suk Yeol's impeachment trial

Key Facts

Country
South Korea.
Date of Impeachment Vote
December 14, 2024.
Reason for Impeachment
Declaration of martial law and other illegal acts.
New President Elected
Lee Jae Myung on June 3, 2025.

When the President Had to Leave!

Once upon a time, in a country called South Korea, the leader, President Yoon Suk Yeol, was told he had to stop being president. This happened because the people who make the rules, called lawmakers, voted for him to leave. It was a big deal!

They voted because he did some things that weren't allowed, like telling soldiers and police to stop lawmakers from going into their meeting place. It's like if your teacher told you to leave the classroom for breaking a big rule!

Who Stepped In to Help?

When President Yoon Suk Yeol had to leave, someone else had to be in charge for a little while. First, the Prime Minister, whose name was Han Duck-soo, became the acting president. But then, he also had to leave!

So, another person, Choi Sang-mok, took over. It was like a game of musical chairs, but with a very important job! Eventually, the court decided that President Yoon Suk Yeol really had to go, and someone else became president after a new election.

Why Did This Happen?

President Yoon Suk Yeol did some things that made the lawmakers very upset. One of the biggest things was declaring martial law, which is like putting the whole country under military control. He also ordered the arrest of judges, who are supposed to be fair and make sure rules are followed.

These actions were like breaking the most important rules of the country, called the Constitution. The lawmakers felt he had to be removed to protect the country's rules.

A New Leader for South Korea!

After President Yoon Suk Yeol was officially removed from his job, the country needed a new leader. So, they had a special election, like voting for class president, but for the whole country! People voted for who they wanted to be the next president.

A person named Lee Jae Myung won the election and became the new leader of South Korea. This shows that even when big changes happen, the country keeps going with new leaders.

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