Its parliament South Korea deposed the country’s president yesterday Yun Seok-gilwho paid the price for his attempt to impose martial law 11 days ago.

Here’s a look at what’s next for a country in the midst of political chaos.

Prime Minister Han Duk-su took over as acting president. He will rule for a maximum of eight months, with the Constitutional Court having 180 days to decide whether or not to approve the removal of the president. If this is ratified, new elections will have to be organized in two months.

In his first statement in his new capacity, the 75-year-old Khan promised to do his utmost to “ensure stable governance” of the country.

The motion to remove Yoon Seok-geil was adopted by the parliament with 204 votes in favor and 85 against. The last time something similar happened, the Constitutional Court announced its decision 92 days after lawmakers voted, upholding the 2017 impeachment of former president Park Geun-hye, who was impeached on corruption charges.

If the Court does the same for Yun, a presidential election would have to be held within 60 days. The winner will take office the next day, without the usual transition period.

The Court normally consists of nine judges, but three retired in October and have not been replaced. As six votes are needed to ratify an impeachment, a unanimous decision is required to oust Yun.

According to experts, however, this is “highly likely”, given that Yun committed clear violations of the Constitution by declaring martial law.

It is clear that Yun “tried to paralyze the functions of the State … even the most conservative academics recognized that this caused a crisis in the constitutional order,” Kim Hyun-young, a researcher at the Institute of Law at Korea University, told AFP.

According to analysts, this case is quite possible.

“Those who favor Yun’s departure will likely gather in Gwanghwamun Square, near the Constitutional Court,” to exert pressure, said Ba Kang-hun of the Valid Institute.

Protesters from both camps told AFP they would take to the streets until the Court’s decision.

“I will definitely protest in front of the Court to demand that it reject the impeachment,” said Cho Hee-sun, who participated in a pro-Yoon rally in front of Parliament yesterday.

Kim Cho-rong, who is in favor of impeachment, said she would continue to participate in the protests “in the coming weeks to make (her) voice heard by the judges.”

Opposition leader Lee Jae-myung is considered the big favorite by pundits.

“Lee appeared to exercise a strong leadership role during the days of unrest following the declaration of martial law and played a key role in getting the impeachment motion passed,” said lawyer and political commentator Woo Jung-hun.

According to a poll released last week, more than 52% of voters see Lee Jae-myung as the best candidate, with the rest far lower, below 10%.

In the ranks of Yun’s People’s Power Party (PPP), chief Han Dong-hun and Seoul mayor Oh Se-un appear to stand out.

Coming from a working-class background, having dropped out of school to support his family, Lee skyrocketed to become a political star. Last January, he was in danger of losing his life when he was attacked with a knife in the neck on a street in Busan, South Korea, by a man who approached him in the crowd pretending to be one of his fans.

In the 2022 presidential election, he lost to Yoon Seok-gil by the narrowest margin in South Korean history.

However, the opposition leader has been at the center of several scandals. In November, a court found him guilty of violating electoral law, a suspended sentence. If he were sentenced to serve a prison term, he would not be able to run for president.

In any case, Lee “remains far ahead” of potential rivals, Woo Jung-hun said, noting that prosecutions against him would be dropped if he wins the election, due to presidential immunity.