The vote by South Korea’s parliament to impeach President Yoon Suk Yeol on Saturday marked the culmination of a stunning political showdown sparked by his shock decision to impose martial law on the vibrant democratic country.

Demonstrators both supporting and opposing South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol have come out in force in the country’s capital, ahead of the Constitutional Court's first hearing to decide whether to remove him from office or restore his presidential powers.

Moving away from the quest for military primacy would provide a more stable basis for the South Korea-U.S. alliance – one not reliant on having conservatives in government in Seoul.

Police estimated at least 200,000 people filled the streets of Seoul ahead of the vote. It is the second such attempt to impeach Yoon, after a previous motion failed to garner support from ruling party lawmakers.

South Korea’s acting leader has vowed to convey to the world that things are back to normal following parliament’s impeachment of conservative President Yoon Suk Yeol.

South Korea’s diplomatic and security relations with Japan experienced a dramatic turnaround under Yoon. Tokyo fears that progress won’t last under a new president.

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol was impeached Saturday over his short-lived martial law decree, with twelve lawmakers from his own party joining the opposition to pass the motion in the National Assembly.

South Korea's parliament impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol for his attempt to impose martial law, the first time such a measure had been imposed on the nation in more than four decades.