South Korea's parliament has impeached acting President Han Duck-soo, less than two weeks after suspending President Yoon Suk Yeol's powers in reaction to his short-lived declaration of martial law.
The impeachment of Han, the acting president since Yoon was impeached on December 14 for declaring martial law, has plunged South Korea into a deeper political crisis.
In a statement after the vote, Han said he was saddened by what the unfolding events meant for the next generation, but accepted the outcome.
"I respect parliament's decision and in order to avoid further chaos and uncertainty, I will suspend my duties in accordance with relevant laws," he said.
He added he would await the decision of the Constitutional Court to review the impeachment motion. The ruling People Power Party, which has objected to the opposition-led impeachment of Han, said it had filed a constitutional petition.
Finance Minister Choi Sang-mok now assumes the role of acting president as the person next in line under the law. He is set to speak to the military chief and consult the foreign minister and acting defence minister, a spokesperson said.
The motion led by opposition parties passed with 192 of the 300 votes amid rowdy scenes by People Power Party members who surrounded the speaker's podium, chanting that the vote was invalid and parliament had engaged in "tyranny".
Ahead of the parliamentary session, opposition leader Lee Jae-myung of the Democratic Party, which has majority control of parliament, accused Han of "acting for insurrection".
There has been overwhelming public support for Yoon's removal, opinion polls showed after his martial law attempt.
The plan for a vote to impeach Han came after he declined to immediately appoint three justices to fill vacancies at the Constitutional Court, saying it would exceed his acting role.
Earlier, the new acting President Choi pleaded with parliament to withdraw the plan to impeach Han, saying it would do serious damage to the economy.
The South Korean won retreated to 1,475.4 per dollar, down 0.53 per cent ahead of the parliamentary vote.
There was a chance the country would plunge into economic troubles comparable to its devastating financial crisis of the late 1990s, said Shin Yul, a political science professor at Myongji University.
The vote to impeach Han came on the day the Constitutional Court held its first hearing to review whether to overturn Yoon's impeachment and reinstate him or remove him permanently from office.
The hearing follows weeks of defiance by Yoon, who ignored court requests to submit documents as well as summons by investigators in a separate criminal case over his martial law declaration.
Events since the martial law declaration have sparked South Korea's gravest political crisis since 1987, when widespread protests forced the ruling party of former military generals to accept a constitutional amendment bringing in a direct, popular vote to elect the president.
Yoon shocked the country and the world with a late-night announcement on December 3 that he was imposing martial law to overcome political deadlock and root out "anti-state forces".
Within hours, however, 190 lawmakers had defied the cordons of troops and police and voted against Yoon's order. About six hours after his initial decree, Yoon rescinded it.
On Friday, prosecutors indicted former Defence Minister Kim Yong-hyun in the first move to put on trial an official accused of insurrection, Yonhap news said.
