South Korea's lawmakers have voted to impeach President Yoon Suk Yeol for his short-lived call for martial law in early December. The country's constitutional court needs to approve the impeachment process within 180 days.
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00:00Jubilation on the streets of South Korea, as lawmakers vote to impeach their president.
00:21President Yoon Suk-yol has been stripped of his powers. The final decision regarding his
00:26now in the hands of the Constitutional Court, who must decide his fate within 180 days.
00:33But a defiant Yoon refuses to step down.
00:51It's been a turbulent few weeks for South Korea since Yoon unexpectedly declared
00:55martial law on December 3rd, only to rescind his decision hours later, after lawmakers
01:01voted unanimously to block him. The debacle led to thousands of people taking to the streets
01:07in protest, calling for his removal.
01:12An initial vote to impeach failed, but now with enough of the president's own party
01:17members defecting, a second attempt has passed. Ruling party leader Han Dong-hoon says they're
01:23putting the people before politics.
01:36And getting right to work as interim president, Prime Minister Han Deok-su, with a sobering
01:41reminder that South Korea can't afford to let its guard down during this period of political
01:47turbulence.
02:06U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken praised South Korea for its democratic resilience,
02:11reaffirming his country's commitment to one of their most vital allies in the Asian Pacific.
02:30If the Constitutional Court agrees to impeach, South Korea must hold a snap election within
02:3660 days. Until then, Yoon sits as a president without power.
02:41Eason Pan and Rhys Ayres for Taiwan Plus.