The court’s decision on Friday marks Yoon’s formal dismissal from the presidency after parliament voted to impeach him late last year. His removal takes effect immediately, meaning he must now leave the presidential residence, and will trigger an election to replace him. It’s a remarkable fall from grace for the former prosecutor-turned-politician, who rose to prominence for his role in the impeachment and imprisonment of another president years ago – only to now meet the same fate. The decision caps a long-running crisis has left a major global economy and key US ally rudderless at a fraught moment in world affairs, especially as US President Donald Trump’s “America First” agenda upends decades of foreign policy norms and dismantles the global trading system.

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol was ousted on Friday by the Constitutional Court, ushering in an election after it upheld parliament's impeachment over his imposition of martial law that sparked the nation's worst political crisis in decades. The unanimous ruling caps months of political turmoil that have overshadowed efforts to deal with the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump at a time of slowing growth in Asia's fourth-largest economy. The decision now sets in motion a race to elect the next president within 60 days as required by the constitution. Prime Minister Han Duck-soo will stay on as acting president until a new leader is sworn in.

A South Korean court has removed President Yoon Suk Yeol from office after he was impeached for a botched declaration of martial law. The country’s constitutional court unanimously upheld the impeachment of Mr Yoon, who was arrested in January on charges of insurrection after he attempted and failed to impose martial law. His Dec 3 martial law decree lasted six hours as it was voted down by lawmakers, but it plunged the normally stable democracy into its worst political crisis in decades. The verdict requires the country to hold a snap election within 60 days to determine Mr Yoon’s successor, likely to fall in early June.