South Korea’s Constitutional Court unanimously upheld President Yoon Suk-yeol’s impeachment last Friday, removing him from office and triggering a snap presidential election, set to take place on June 3. All eight justices rejected Yoon’s defense that his martial law declaration was merely symbolic, siding instead with lawmakers who accused him of abusing executive power.

The ruling capped weeks of tension in the capital. After weeks of protests, few doubted that Yoon’s supporters would show up in force. But when the justices read their unanimous verdict, the expected explosion never came. While one side of the political aisle erupted in cheers,