South Korea’s ousted president Yoon Suk-yeol has continued to rally supporters from his official residence by issuing a string of combative messages, while officials deny a June 3 date reportedly set for a snap election to find his successor.
Citing an unnamed official, Yonhap News Agency on Monday revealed the tentative date and said it would be announced after a cabinet meeting held by acting president, Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, whose office later clarified no date had been set.
According to the constitution, a snap presidential election must be held within 60 days if the post becomes vacant due to reasons such as impeachment.
Three days after the Constitutional Court removed Yoon from office, he remains holed up in his presidential home near the Han River. There is no word on when he will return to his private home – a luxurious property in affluent southern Seoul.
Yoon and his wife, Kim Keon-hee, were reportedly caught off guard by the verdict. Local media reported his security detail had prepared a welcome ceremony, anticipating his reinstatement and Yoon himself had planned a visit to the national cemetery to mark the occasion.
Shortly after his removal was confirmed on Friday, Yoon issued a statement to supporters, apologising for failing to meet their expectations, but stopped short of accepting the court’s ruling.