Yoon Suk Yeol (Joint Press Corp.)
Yoon Suk Yeol (Joint Press Corp.)

Ex-President Yoon Suk Yeol has been removed from power and lost the rights and privileges previously bestowed upon him as South Korea's president, but he will still be subject to protection provided by the Presidential Security Service as a former leader.

The Presidential Security Act states in the Article 4-3 that a president and his or her spouse shall be protected by the presidential bodyguards for 10 years after their term is concluded. If the president steps down from office before the end of their term -- such as via death or removal as in Yoon's case -- the protection period is shortened to five years.

This means Yoon will basically be guarded by the PSS until 2030, but a subclause of Article 4-6 of the same act states that a president could be guarded for up to five more years than the period set in Article 4-3.

The protection provided by the PSS includes conventional protection along with patrol of the areas surrounding Yoon's home in cooperation with local police forces. Officials could also protect the former first couple during transportation via land and air if necessary, upon their request.

Ex-President Park Geun-hye, the only other president in the country’s history removed from power via impeachment, is to slated to be protected by the presidential bodyguards until March 2027.

Yoon, who was inaugurated as president in May 2022, was removed from office Friday after the Constitutional Court decided to uphold his impeachment by the parliament, effective immediately. The opposition-led National Assembly passed the motion for his impeachment in December, holding him accountable for insurrection and abuse of power for his orders related to his Dec. 3 declaration of martial law.

Yoon is also facing criminal investigation and trial for insurrection, held independently of the impeachment trial.


minsikyoon@heraldcorp.com