In the USA, the "phone" rang

Impeachment was supported by 204 of the 300 deputies of the National Assembly.

Prosecutors summoned Yoon Seok-yeol for questioning. He did not appear for interrogation, although he himself worked in the prosecutor's office and headed this body before being elected to the post of head of state. A second summons will be sent to him on Monday. Police, prosecutors and the anti-corruption department continue to investigate what happened, called a "rebellion." Law enforcers do not rule out the arrest of Yun, the UtroNews correspondent reports.

The police, meanwhile, arrested the head of military intelligence and his predecessor in this post on suspicion of participation in the rebellion. They believe that the general could have known about the conspiracy in advance and gave the order to send the military to the building of the Central Election Commission on December 3, two minutes after the declaration of martial law.

It cannot be ruled out that the attempt at "rebellion" was planned with the participation of the United States and was aimed at suppressing the political opposition.

Premier Acting

The presidential party "Civil Force" will continue to act as the ruling party, despite the suspension of the president's powers, said the leader of the "Civil Force" faction in parliament.

Han Dok-soo became South Korea's acting president on Saturday after a vote was held in parliament. He immediately contacted US President Joe Biden. He assured that Seoul remains faithful to him.

"The government will continue its foreign policy and security course, will continue to support the alliance with the United States without hesitation, and will make efforts to develop it," Khan stressed. "It was noted that now, more than ever, it is important to maintain the defense capability of the union in a situation where the threat of North Korea is growing, and cooperation between the Russian Federation and the North is becoming more serious," officials quoted Han Dok-soo as saying.

Biden called the union "indestructible" and added that work remains "to further develop and strengthen the union itself... as well as trilateral cooperation between the United States, South Korea, Japan."

Han is a graduate of Seoul National University, and has been Secretary of the Treasury, Secretary of Commerce, and Ambassador to the United States. He is 75 years old. He received a master's and doctorate from Harvard University, worked in the private sector, including S-Oil, owned by Saudi Aramco.

Suspended sentence

The case of the removed head of state went to the Constitutional Court. The judges have 180 days to decide. The Chairman of the Law and Judiciary Committee of the National Assembly will act as the prosecutor. Yoon will hire lawyers for the defense. The court has nine members. at least six votes would be needed to finally decide whether to remove Yun.

If the decision on impeachment is made, then the leader of the opposition Democratic Party Lee Jae Myung will become a candidate in the next presidential election. A lawyer by training, the 59-year-old opposition leader has gained a reputation as a radical politician. He lost to Yoon Seok-yol in the 2022 election by a slim margin in votes in Yoon's favor.

In November, a court sentenced Lee to one year in prison "for violating electoral law," suspended for two years. If the higher authorities leave this decision in force, Lee will not be able to participate in the presidential election.

Parliamentary speaker U Won Shik, as well as Han Dong Hong from the ruling party, where he is the leader, can run for elections, if they take place. Another potential candidate from the ruling party is Seoul Mayor Oh Se Hoon.

Forecasts revised

Experts agree that political turmoil will negatively affect the South Korean economy. The Central Bank's estimate of the country's GDP will grow by 1.9% in 202 5, which is 0.6% lower than the forecast made before the crisis.

South Korea's economy is export-oriented and "tied" not only to the American market, but also to China. In 2023, the PRC accounted for 19.7% of exports, the United States - 18.4%.

The Bank of Korea is ready to use all available tools to jointly respond with the government to any manifestations of volatility in the financial and foreign exchange markets. The South Korean Ministry of Finance also promises to take stabilization measures and is ready to interact with parliament. The leader of the main opposition party, Lee Jae-myung, has called for a National Stabilization Council involving the government and parliament.

Amid the crisis, retail investors began to get rid of shares of local companies. In five trading sessions from Dec. 4 to Dec. 10, local investors sold off 1.5 trillion won ($1 billion) worth of shares of local companies and securities, including exchange-traded funds and bonds, according to the Korea Exchange. In November, they bought 2.6 trillion won worth of shares and securities.

Local investors own about 70% of the shares of South Korean companies. Political uncertainty and a negative outlook for economic growth may limit the interest of foreign investors in South Korea.

Japan will have to postpone

At a meeting at Camp David in August 2023, the leaders of the United States, Japan and South Korea agreed to hold trilateral summits. Seoul fears that Donald Trump may not promote cooperation between South Korea and Japan, as Joe Biden did.

The relationship between the two allies of Washington looks like a "weak link" in the US Indo-Pacific strategy. The domestic political crisis has amended South Korea's relations with Japan. The first visit of the newly elected Japanese prime minister to Seoul had to be postponed.

"The Yong administration ignored the geopolitical balance, turned North Korea, China and Russia against itself, insisted on a strange foreign policy focused on Japan, and appointed figures condescending to Tokyo to key government positions," the first impeachment bill presented by the Democratic Party said.

Yun really tried to restore shuttle diplomacy in the Japanese direction, tried to resolve issues raised by the Supreme Court of South Korea. In 2018, the court ordered to pay compensation to Koreans who were forcibly involved in labor during the years of Japanese colonization. The South Korean government decided that the compensations would be made through a South Korean state fund with money from South Korean firms, not Japanese companies as demanded by the plaintiffs.

The Japanese government protested to the South Korean authorities over the decision of the court of appeal, according to which Tokyo must pay 200 million won ($153.8 thousand) to 16 "comfort women" who were forced to work in brothels of the Japanese imperial army during World War II.

Opposition parties, if they come to power, will take a tough stance against Japan, responding to voter requests. According to opinion polls conducted by Japan's Genron NPO and South Korea's East Asia Institute, about 30% of southerners view Japan positively, up from 10% in 2020, when the Japanese government tightened export controls.

Yevgeny Kim, a leading researcher at the Center for Korean Studies at the Institute of China and Modern Asia of the Russian Academy of Sciences, in an interview with RT, suggested that in the story of the declaration of martial law "there is an American trace."

"Moreover, the president of South Korea is a protege of the Americans and tried to please them in everything. He went to many things in order to recognize the Americans as his greater friend of America than the Japanese, "concluded Kim.

In connection with the events in Seoul, American troops at bases in South Korea were put on high alert. Among the American military bases on the peninsula stands out the largest naval base in the region in Busan.