Live from Nat'l Assembly: Rival parties show mixed reactions to Court's ruling to impeach Yoon

Meanwhile at the parliament the reactions to the ruling from rival political parties stood in sharp contrast.

For more our National Assembly correspondent Shin Ha-young joins me now.

Ha-young welcome.

So what have you been hearing?

Sunny, the reaction from lawmakers across the aisle stands poles apart here at the National Assembly.

The ruling People Power Party, which had hoped to overturn the impeachment, fell silent as the court unanimously removed Yoon from office.

Interim leader Kwon Young-se said that while the decision is regrettable, the party accepts the outcome and apologized.

Take a listen.

"First and foremost, we sincerely apologize to the people. We take full responsibility for not fulfilling our role as the ruling party. We also regret failing to stop the Democratic Party's repeated legislative overreach and political tyranny in the opposition-controlled National Assembly."

PPP lawmakers gathered after the ruling to discuss the party's response and next steps, where its floor leader Kwon Seong-dong urged unity and emphasized the need to focus on winning the presidential election, which is just two months away.

Meanwhile I believe the opposition party welcomed the court's verdict?

After the ruling, cheers broke out among the main opposition Democratic Party, which was at the forefront of the opposition-led push in the parliament to remove Yoon from office.

The party welcomed the decision.

DP leader Lee Jae-myung expressed gratitude to the public, saying they had taken back their democracy.

Take a listen.

"A sitting president being impeached for the second time is a tragedy that should never happen again in Korea's constitutional history. ( ) Now, a new chapter begins. With the people, we will work to restore livelihoods, peace, the economy, and democracy through unity."

A plenary session was held at the National Assembly this afternoon, where an opposition-led impeachment motion against Finance Minister Choi Sang-mok was expected to be put to a vote.

However, before the session, the DP decided to refer the motion to the Judiciary Committee instead of voting on it immediately.

Moving forward we are now looking ahead to an early presidential race right Ha-young ?

You're right, Sunny. Rival parties are now set to kick off a two-month race.

All eyes are on the PPP, which had opposed impeachment, as the ruling could be a major blow with the presidential election just 60 days away.

The party's biggest challenge will be overcoming public backlash over the martial law declaration and the burden of having two impeached presidents, while also winning over centrist and independent voters.

For the DP, which has been eager to regain power since its defeat three years ago, the focus is now on when Chairman Lee Jae-myung, the party's frontrunner, will step down as leader and officially launch his presidential bid.

Meanwhile, addressing the public, Acting President Han Duck-soo said on Friday that he will do his best to make sure the upcoming election and transition to the next government go smoothly.

Han also vowed to ensure stability in national security and diplomacy following the Court's ruling.

"This is a serious moment in history, with a sitting president impeached for the second time. As acting president, I will make sure there are no gaps in national security and foreign affairs, maintaining a firm security posture."

That's all I have for now. Back to you, Sunny.

All right Ha-young thank you for the latest on the political front.

That was our National Assembly correspondent Shin Ha-young .