25.04.04.Today News : President Yoon Seok-yeol fired / Cho Doo-sun Leaves Residence Again

1. President Yoon Seok-yeol fired

The Constitutional Court dismissed President Yoon Suk Yeol on April 4. This marks the second time in South Korea's constitutional history that a president has been forcibly removed from office. As of 11:22 a.m. on this day, Yoon ceased to be the 20th President of the Republic of Korea and returned to civilian status. He assumed office on May 10, 2022, making his term the shortest since the introduction of the direct presidential election system in 1987—lasting just under two years and eleven months.

The Constitutional Court reached a unanimous decision to remove President Yoon during a ruling at 11 a.m. held at its main courtroom in Jongno District, Seoul. This verdict comes 123 days after the declaration of martial law on December 3 of the previous year. Yoon becomes the second president to be ousted, following former President Park Geun-hye in 2017.

The court judged that the declaration of martial law violated the substantive requirements defined by law, as it was issued despite the absence of war, rebellion, or other national emergencies. In response to President Yoon’s claim that the martial law was intended as a “warning or appeal,” the court stated, “That is not the purpose of martial law as defined by law.” Regarding his claim that martial law was declared to address alleged election fraud, the court ruled, “The mere existence of suspicions does not constitute a significant crisis situation warranting such a measure.”

The court also acknowledged all grounds for impeachment, including:
- Allegations that Yoon attempted to physically remove lawmakers from the National Assembly to obstruct a vote to lift martial law,
- The illegal nature of the proclamation orders, and
- His involvement in attempts to detain key political figures and legal professionals via the Defense Counterintelligence Command.

Additionally, even though the National Assembly later withdrew charges related to insurrection, the court ruled this did not amount to an improper change of impeachment grounds and upheld the legal validity of the impeachment process.

Acting Chief Justice Moon Hyung-bae stated in the court’s decision: “President Yoon’s unconstitutional and unlawful actions betrayed the trust of the people and amount to serious legal violations that cannot be tolerated from the perspective of constitutional order.” He continued, “As of 11:22 a.m., the respondent, President Yoon Suk Yeol, is hereby dismissed.”

Although Yoon became the first president in history to personally attend his impeachment hearings, he was not present in court for the final ruling due to security concerns and instead watched from the presidential residence. Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, now serving as acting president, delivered a public address immediately after the ruling, stating, “We will faithfully uphold the will of the sovereign people and ensure that the next administration launches without disruption in accordance with the Constitution and the law.”

One-line summary : With the Constitutional Court removing Yoon Suk Yeol from office due to unconstitutional and unlawful actions, including the abuse of martial law, he becomes the second president in history to be forcibly removed and the shortest-serving president since the introduction of direct elections.

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2. Cho Doo-sun Leaves Residence Again

Child rapist Cho Doo-sun reportedly left his residence again after violating his December 2023 stay-away order.

On April 4, Cho left his residence in a multi-family house at 5:30 p.m. and went down to the first floor of the building.

He was reportedly stopped by a probation officer on the scene and returned to the house minutes later.

Doo-Soon's grounding hours are 7 a.m. to 9 a.m. and 3 to 6 p.m. during school hours and 9 p.m. to 6 a.m. during the night.

The Ansan Probation Office is considering filing a criminal complaint against Cho for violating the law on attaching electronic devices.

Previously, Cho was sentenced to three months in prison on December 4, 2023, at 9:05 p.m. for violating an order prohibiting him from going out at night after 9 p.m.

One-line summary : Criminal charges are being considered against Cho Doo-sun for violating another stay-away order and leaving his residence without authorization.