For hours, the atmosphere surrounding South Korea’s constitutional court in downtown Seoul was tense. Dozens of people camped overnight in the cold of early spring, led by a historic court decision on Friday.
The crowd and the opposite crowd for the firing of the country’s bluff each president, Yoon Soo-Yeol, were separated by police buses and metal barriers up to 13 feet tall.
As the proxy Supreme Court judge began reading the decision filled with technical legal jargon, the crowd was quiet and nervous to hear the outcome that determined Mr. Yun’s fate from the outdoor speaker. As the reading progressed, some who opposed Mr. Yoon cheered and intermittently praised him. The protesters on both sides clasped their hands together in prayer. Many people lifted their phones and recorded the moment.
And the crowd erupted.
Supporters of Yoon’s blast each responded to the hugs, screams and fists pumped into the air to the unanimous decision to remove him from his office. There was a big boo at a rally of Yoon’s supporters near his residence. Some were folded in disappointment, others were cursed loudly.
Protesters celebrating in downtown Seoul. Credit… Jun Michael Park for New York is overcome by emotions after domination.
“It was very difficult, but now my heart feels safe,” said Kim Ji Thorne, 55. “I hope they can create a country where people can be happy.”
As soon as the decision was announced, only a handful of people wearing hats that “make Korea great again” and “stop stealing” were left at Prowlion demonstrations that were scheduled to last all day outside the president’s office. Construction workers were knocking down the scaffolding, dozens of chairs stacked on top and tucked into the sides.
Jang Jaeeuk, 21, said he stayed on the street near the courthouse overnight with other students at his university.
“I’m glad that the difficulties of the past four months have not been wasted,” he said, crying, after listening to the verdict and hugging fellow students. “Now we feel we can change the world, and in that sense, I look forward to the future.”
Supporters of Yun near the court, who was primarily male, said they were extremely disappointed that the president was taken away and returned home.
A supporter of Mr. Yun near his residence. CREDIT… Chang W. Lee/The New York Timespeople watches as the acting Supreme Court justice begins reading the decision.
Yoon Seo-Jun, 18, sat on the edge of the sidewalk and said he had a distrust of the disappointing system that led to bullet each and about the country’s future.
“Korean democracy is dead,” he said. He added that he hoped that the Diet, which had been bounces each of Mr. Yoon, would be dissolved.
After the decision, some Koreans expressed concern about what would happen next, and the possibility of a political upheaval.
Lee Yong-seok, 27, saw the court’s televised decision on a screen at a major railway station in Seoul, said he supported the verdict but knew that others were skeptical of the ruling and the judge who made it.
“I feel there’s something big coming to my country,” he said.
Even as Yoon’s supporters and opponents tried to grasp what’s coming next for their country, government officials had taken steps to move on.
In a gesture highlighting the finality of the court’s decision, authorities removed the president’s coat of arms in front of the building where Yun once worked as president. The emblem has the image of the mythical bird, Phoenix.
Reported by Cho Sang-han, Jang W. Lee, Jun Michael Park and Victoria Kim.
