What comes next?

“We must look forward now and the next step will be an election in two months’ time,” he told DW.

Lee Jae-myung, the head of the left-leaning Democratic Party (DPK), is the favorite to win the election and replace Yoon’s People’s Power Party (PPP), although Kim points out that Lee has several skeletons in his own political closet, and he is far from assured of victory.

“Lee is a populist and a clever man, but he is facing some serious legal problems. I believe there are five lawsuits still ongoing against him, and that is an opportunity for whoever the PPP puts up as a candidate,” he added.

Conservatives will inevitably be opposed to Lee taking the presidency and independently minded voters may well shy away from his reputation, Kim said, while the implications of a Lee victory are serious.

“If he becomes president, then we will find ourselves in a similar situation to now with Yoon,” he said. “There will be instability in a Lee government that will spill over into disorder and chaos for the duration of his term, which is, of course, dangerous.”

Celebrations in Seoul after Yoon ouster

For those who were horrified at Yoon’s declaration of martial law last year, Friday was a time to revel in the court’s decision and the resilience of South Korean democracy.

“Although the entire nation witnessed the events of December 3, it took an excessively long time to reach a decision on impeachment,” said Hyobin Lee, a professor at Sogang University in Seoul.

“I could not stay at home this morning, so I watched the announcement with my friends in central Seoul,” she told DW. “The moment that we heard he had been impeached, we were so overwhelmed with joy that we screamed and cried together. I just cannot contain my happiness.”

That the judges’ decision was unanimous and found Yoon’s actions to have been in breach of the constitution on both substantive and procedural grounds is deeply significant, she added.

“Many people assume that regardless of who leads the country, the lives of ordinary citizens remain unchanged,” she said. “However, witnessing the implementation of martial law under President Yoon likely changed many of these perceptions.”

“Clearly, the quality of ordinary people’s lives varies greatly depending on their leadership and I believe this ruling is an important milestone that strengthens Korean democracy,” Lee added.

Leif-Eric Easley, a professor of international studies at Ewha Womans University in Seoul, cautions that challenges lie ahead, but the outlook seems brighter after Yoon’s removal.

“There has been a palpable sense of national fatigue from seemingly endless political posturing, media speculation and public demonstrations during a longer-than-expected legal process,” he said.

Political risks related to “domestic polarization and policy instability remain,” he added, while Yoon’s diehard supporters may very well allege that South Korea’s democracy “is in tatters.”

A tough election looms

Easley said the court’s unanimous ruling is a sign government institutions have withstood “a volatile mix of legislative obstruction and executive overreach that posed the greatest challenge to democracy in a generation.”

The elections are likely to be fiercely fought and contentious, he believes.

“Now begins a compressed presidential election campaign that will stretch, if not tear, the social fabric of the country,” Easley said.

“But South Korea has managed to avoid the worst outcomes and can see light at the end of a long political crisis. And not a moment too soon, given how the next administration in Seoul must navigate North Korea’s military threats, China’s diplomatic pressure and [US President Donald] Trump’s trade tariffs.”

Edited by: Wesley Rahn