SEOUL, South Korea — South Korea's parliament voted to impeach President Yoon Suk Yeol, a stunning fall from grace for a man who rose from political obscurity to the height of political power. His decades of achievement could be on the verge of crumbling due to his decision to send out troops under martial law over vague claims that one of Asia's leading democracies was under threat. Yoon, a staunch conservative and longtime prosecutor, went from political novice to president of South Korea in 2022, ending five years of liberal rule that saw failed efforts to resolve the North Korean nuclear crisis and a slackening economy.
His time in office, however, was marked by near-constant friction with an opposition-controlled parliament, threats of annihilation from North Korea and scandals involving him and and his wife. Observers said he was impulsive, took criticism personally and relied too much on the advice of hardcore loyalists. People are also reading.
.. Despite 21⁄2 years as president, Yoon's career was overwhelmingly about the law, not politics.
Yoon, 63, was born in Seoul to two professors, and he studied law at prestigious Seoul National University. A major moment, according to Yoon, happened in 1980 when he played the role of a judge in a mock trial of then-dictator Chun Doo-hwan, who staged a military coup the prior year, and sentenced him to life imprisonment. In the aftermath, Yoon had to flee to the countryside as Chun's military extended martial law and placed t.