South Korea assures foreign missions that diplomacy will continue under acting president

Seoul, Dec 14 (IANS) The South Korean foreign ministry sent diplomatic letters to all foreign missions in the country on Saturday, assuring that diplomacy will continue under the acting leadership of the Prime Minister following the impeachment of President Yoon Suk Yeol.

The ministry "assured that it will continue to proceed with diplomatic schedules as planned, even under the acting president system," it said in a message to reporters, hours after the National Assembly voted to impeach Yoon over the botched martial law order.

The ministry also said it instructed all South Korean overseas missions to maintain a "disciplined posture under the grave circumstances" and ensure that they carry out their duties with "exceptional determination," while working to maintain friendly relations with the host countries, Yonhap news agency reported.

Earlier in the day, South Korea's National Assembly voted to impeach President Yoon Suk Yeol over his botched imposition of martial law, suspending him from his duties until the Constitutional Court decides whether to reinstate him or remove him from office, with citizens cheering over his impeachment.

The impeachment motion against Yoon passed 204-85, with three abstentions and eight invalid ballots, after all 300 members of the Assembly cast their votes.

The motion's passage came 11 days after Yoon declared martial law in an announcement that caught the nation by surprise and drew outrage, as troops encircled the National Assembly compound in an apparent attempt to stop lawmakers from repealing the decree.

The martial law order, which was lifted within six hours after the Assembly voted it down, has prompted investigations by the police, the prosecution and the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials into whether Yoon staged an insurrection. He is currently banned from leaving the country.

After the National Assembly passed a motion to impeach Yoon on Saturday, country's Prime Minister Han Duck-soo has taken over as the acting president.

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