Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, who will assume the role of acting president once Yoon receives a copy of the impeachment resolution, has commented on the impeachment vote.

"I will devote all my strength and effort to stable operation of state affairs," he has said after the vote passed in the National Assembly.

He is expected to hold an ad hoc cabinet meeting today, according to Yonhap news agency.

Image source, Getty Images

Yoon has just released a statement in the wake of the impeachment vote.

“I am temporarily stopping my journey," said the president, whose powers will imminently be suspended.

"Though I stop for now, the journey to the future I’ve walked for the past two and half years must never stop. I will never give up. I will take your criticism, praise, and support to the heart and do my best for the country until the end.”

Image source, Reuters

Image source, Reuters

As the sun sets in Seoul, the sea of protesters in front of the National Assembly - many holding lightsticks - has started to glow. While some have begun heading home, many others are staying on to celebrate.

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Reuters

Image source, BBC/Leehyun Choi

The passage of the impeachment motion is "not the end of South Korea’s political turmoil," says Leif-Eric Easley, a professor at Ewha University in Seoul.

"It is not even the beginning of the end, which will ultimately involve election of a new president," he said.

The constitutional court now has up to 180 days to rule on whether President Yoon should be impeached or restored. If it rules to impeach, an election for the next president must be called within 60 days of the ruling.

Leader of the main opposition Democratic Party Lee Jae-myung, who narrowly lost to Yoon in 2022, is favoured to win an election to replace him. But Lee is also in legal jeopardy, Prof Easley noted.

Lee has one conviction on appeal and several other rulings pending that could disqualify him from the top office.

"So before the final race in the polls, there will be a race in the courts," he said.

Jake Kwon and Leehyun Choi
Reporting from Seoul

As the results were announced, Sim Hee-seon was seen wiping tears away, while singing along to a protest song.

"I'm so happy that the bill passed. It's a relief that we won't need to come out to protest in the cold anymore," said the 40-year-old physical therapist.

"At the same time, the fight is not over. We know that we'll have to wait for the court's judgment for his impeachment to be finalised. We will keep watching," she said.

Image source, BBC/Leehyun Choi

Elsewhere in the cheering crowd was 77-year-old Lee Seung-bang, waving his fists in the air.

He too was struggling to hold back his tears. "Korean politics will improve after today, he said.

Image source, BBC/Jake Kwon

According to parliamentary speaker Woo Won-shik, Yoon’s presidential powers and duties will be suspended after copies of a document on the impeachment are delivered to him and to the Constitutional Court.

Prime Minister Han Duck-soo is set to take over as acting president.

Even after his powers are suspended, Yoon will remain in office until the Constitutional Court decides if it will sustain his impeachment.

Our Seoul correspondent Jean Mackenzie explains what happens now, after today's historic vote in parliament to impeach President Yoon Suk Yeol.

Yuna Ku
BBC Korean reporter

Image source, BBC/Yuna Ku

Across town at Gwanghwamun square, at a pro-Yoon rally, the president's supporters have kept silent after hearing the news.

A pastor, Jun Kwang-hoon, led the crowd to chant: “Disassemble the ruling party."

Some people uttered angry insults and left the location.

It was an expected result. Before the impeachment vote, some of them had told the BBC they believed the bill would pass.

Son Bang-gle, a protester in her 30s, said she had joined the rally because she knew she would feel even worse if she was alone at the moment of hearing about the result. She was crying, saying she was worried about the country.

Leehyun Choi
Reporting from Seoul

Into the New World, a song by K-pop group Girls' Generation, is once again being blasted outside the National Assembly.

The joy is palpable, with people singing along as fireworks break out overhead.

The same song was played here earlier, ahead of the impeachment vote.

With 204 votes in favour, 85 votes against, three abstentions and eight invalid votes out of the 300 lawmakers, Speaker Woo Won-shik announced the impeachment vote had passed, and concluded the session.

"To the people, we hope your end of year will be a little happier now, and all your cancelled year-end celebrations to be restored," he said.

"The future of the Republic of Korea and our hope is in the hands of the people, our hope is strong. Thank you very much," he said as he ended the session.

Richard Kim
BBC Korean

The moment the results were announced, cheers erupted from the Democratic Party, while members of the ruling party quietly left the chamber.

During the vote count, some ruling party lawmakers were seen clasping their hands in prayer.

All 300 lawmakers participated, with 204 votes in favor, 85 against, three abstentions, and four invalid votes.

The motion passed.

Image source, BBC/Richard Kim

We've just reported that MPs have voted to impeach Yoon. But it doesn't necessarily guarantee that he will be permanently removed from office.

The entire impeachment process itself could take weeks, as a trial still has to be held before the Constitutional Court. If six of the nine-member council vote to sustain the impeachment, only then will the president will be removed from office.

In this scenario, an election for the next president will be called within 60 days of the ruling.

Parliament has voted to impeach Yoon Suk Yeol, with 204 lawmakers voting in favour of the motion.

It means that Yoon will immediately be suspended from office, and the prime minister will become the acting president.

Stay with us as we bring you more updates.

Yoon's defiant speech galvanised protesterspublished at 08:00 Greenwich Mean Time 14 December 2024

08:00 GMT 14 December 2024

Jean Mackenzie
Seoul correspondent

Image source, EPA

This has been an incredibly unsettling week for South Koreans. It has not been clear who has been running the country. For most of the week, the president was in hiding, until he came out on Thursday and gave a defiant speech, defending his decision to impose martial law. He refused to resign and said he was going to fight to the end.

That speech has galvanised people. They are now even more determined to see him gone. Only 11% of the public still support him.

South Korea’s democracy is riding on this vote. Yoon has challenged its democracy more than it has ever been challenged before in its short 35-year history. Protesters are desperately hoping that their politicians will act in accordance with their wishes today.

Leehyun Choi
Reporting from Seoul

Image source, BBC/Leehyun Choi

Protesters outside the National Assembly are now belting out a traditional, labour anthem "March for Our Beloved".

This tune was written in 1981 to commemorate democratic activists who were killed during the Gwangju protests in 1980.

Earlier, we also heard the protesters sing "Into the New World" by K-pop girl band SNSD.

This song became a national protest anthem during the 2016 impeachment of Park Geun-hye.

It is known to have been first sung in a subversive, political context by students demonstrators at Ewha Women's University students in confrontation with the police. Since then, it's been sung at various protests.

The speaker has announced that all 300 lawmakers had cast their votes. Their ballots are being counted now.

Richard Kim
BBC Korean

Just before the session started, PPP lawmaker Yoon Sang-hyun told the BBC that the PPP general meeting did not offer much insight into how ruling party lawmakers will vote.

"The decision to reject the bill was made and there were no heated debates during the general meeting," he said.

"I truly have no idea," he said of the expected vote result. "No additional lawmakers have voiced support for the bill, so I genuinely don’t know how the vote will go."

The impeachment of a president is not uncharted territory for South Korea, which last removed a president through this process in 2016. Ironically, Yoon - then a prosecutor - had led the probe against former president Park Geun-hye, which ultimately resulted in her impeachment.

First an impeachment bill needs to be tabled by a majority of lawmakers in the National Assembly -as the Democratic Party had done earlier.

Then, at least two-thirds of the National Assembly has to vote in favour of the motion - the magic number is 200. Opposition lawmakers need at least eight votes from Yoon's camp.

If the motion passes in parliament, the president is suspended and a trial is held before the Constitutional Court. If six of the court's nine members vote to sustain the impeachment, the president is removed from office.

As lawmakers cast their votes, Korean media outlets are saying they expect the result to come out in less than an hour, around local time 17:30 (8:30 GMT).

As a reminder, the opposition's motion will need at least eight defection votes from the ruling People Power Party to pass.

Leehyun Choi
Reporting from Seoul

Protesters outside the National Assembly were sitting in silence, listening to the live-broadcast presentation of the impeachment bill. It was quiet save for a handful of pro-Yoon protesters on the sidelines yelling abuse.

But as voting proceeds, demonstrators have begun roaring with the chant: "Impeach Yoon!", "Pass the impeachment bill!"