{"id":2209013,"date":"2025-04-10T14:41:43","date_gmt":"2025-04-10T05:41:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/?p=2209013"},"modified":"2025-04-10T14:43:32","modified_gmt":"2025-04-10T05:43:32","slug":"a-nation-holds-its-breath-photo-report-from-yoon-suk-yeols-final-day-in-office","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/2025\/04\/a-nation-holds-its-breath-photo-report-from-yoon-suk-yeols-final-day-in-office\/","title":{"rendered":"A nation holds its breath: Photo report from Yoon Suk-yeol\u2019s final day in office"},"content":{"rendered":"

South Korea\u2019s Constitutional Court unanimously upheld President Yoon Suk-yeol\u2019s 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\u2019s defense that his martial law <\/span>declaration<\/span><\/a> was merely symbolic, siding instead with lawmakers who accused him of abusing executive power.<\/span><\/p>\n

The ruling capped weeks of tension in the capital. After weeks of protests, few doubted that Yoon\u2019s 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, the other stood quietly, almost despondent.<\/span><\/p>\n

The scene was set for confrontation, but the court\u2019s decision brought celebration instead. This is how it looked, moment by moment.<\/span><\/p>\n

April 3, 3:18 p.m.<\/b><\/p>\n

Police complete their fortifications around South Korea\u2019s Constitutional Court, bracing for a repeat of the violent scenes that played out when some of Yoon\u2019s supporters <\/span>stormed<\/span><\/a> the Seoul Western District Court on Jan. 19. Police buses form a tight ring around the perimeter. Mobile fences, meters high, are rolled into position to block off roads leading toward the building. Inside this steel cocoon, the atmosphere feels tense. The message is clear: no one will get near the court building. For now, the neighborhood stands still, eerily empty \u2014 sealed off from the rest of Seoul, awaiting the morning that will decide the fate of a president and, by extension, the nation.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Police officers guard the Constitutional Court, April 3, 2025 | Image: Korea Pro<\/em><\/p><\/div>\n

April 4, 9:28 a.m.<\/b>
\n<\/b>The air is thick with anticipation. Law enforcement officers put on their riot gear, check their pepper spray canisters and adjust protective shields \u2014 preparing for the worst.\u00a0 For weeks, the country has waited for this decision. Authorities aren\u2019t taking any chances. In 2016, when the Constitutional Court confirmed the then-President Park Geun-hye\u2019s impeachment, violence erupted in the same streets, with several wounded and one protester dying. No protesters are yet in sight, but it feels like the quiet before the storm.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n\n\t\t