What's happened
South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol was impeached on December 14, 2024, after losing support from his own party. Opposition leader Lee Jae-myung is now positioned as a potential successor, despite facing his own legal challenges. This marks a significant shift in South Korea's political landscape.
Why it matters
What the papers say
According to The Japan Times, Lee Jae-myung has emerged as a leading candidate to replace Yoon, despite his own legal troubles. Bloomberg highlights the swift nature of Yoon's impeachment, noting that he is part of a troubling trend in South Korean politics where leaders often face dire outcomes. The resignation of Han Dong-hoon, the acting leader, further complicates the political landscape, as reported by Bloomberg. Lee's call for neutrality from Han indicates a desire for stability amidst the chaos.
How we got here
Yoon's impeachment follows a history of political instability in South Korea, where many leaders have faced impeachment or imprisonment since 1987. His presidency faced criticism and division, culminating in the recent vote that stripped him of power.
More on these topics
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South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea, is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korean Peninsula and sharing a land border with North Korea.
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Lee Jae-myung is a South Korean politician and attorney who has been serving as Governor of Gyeonggi Province since 2018. Prior to this, he served as Mayor of Seongnam, the tenth largest city in South Korea, from 2010 to 2018.