South Korea is facing political upheaval after the Constitutional Court ousted President Yoon Suk Yeol on Friday, four months after he declared martial law.

The court’s decision comes over three months after the opposition-led parliament voted to impeach him.

South Korea is now mandated to hold a presidential election within the next two months. Polls suggest Lee Jae-myung, leader of the main opposition Democratic Party, is currently the frontrunner.

Yoon’s martial law declaration on Dec. 3 was short-lived, lasting only six hours before the opposition-controlled legislature overturned it.

The president deployed hundreds of soldiers and police to the National Assembly, claiming it was to maintain order. However, senior military and police officials later testified that Yoon instructed them to physically prevent lawmakers from voting on his decree.

Yoon’s declaration and subsequent impeachment triggered significant political instability, with widespread public demonstrations both supporting and opposing his actions.

The National Assembly impeached Yoon on Dec. 14, accusing him of violating the constitution by suppressing assembly activities, attempting to detain politicians, and threatening national security.

Acting Chief Justice Moon Hyung-bae announced in a televised verdict that the court’s eight judges unanimously supported Yoon’s impeachment, citing his unconstitutional martial law decree.

“Considering the serious negative consequences for the constitutional order and the far-reaching impact of the defendant’s violations, we conclude that the benefits of upholding the constitution by removing the defendant from office outweigh the national losses resulting from the removal of a president,” Moon stated.

Yoon has not yet commented on the verdict, but his People Power Party has indicated it will accept the court’s decision.

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