Seoul: The President of South Korea, Roh Moo-Hyun was suspended from office today (Mar 12, 2004) in an unprecedented parliamentary vote ahead of general elections next month.

The lawmakers voted 193 to the 271 member National Assembly, to suspend Roh over violation of election rules, corruption and incompetence. It was the first time in the history of South Korea that a President is impeached.

"I hereby declare that the motion to impeach President Roh Moo-Hyun has been approved," speaker Park Kwan-Yong said.

Prime Minister Goh Kun is to take over as the interim President. The Constitutional Court will have the final word on the impeachment.

The nine justices of the court must rule within six months by a majority of at least six on whether to uphold the impeachment vote. There was no immediate indication of when the court may convene.

Roh, who has lurched from one crisis to another during his 13 months in power, would be restored to office if the court voted down the motion.

News of the impeachment sent South Korea's stock market plunging and added to the woes of a country grappling with the threat of a nuclear-armed North Korea and a faltering economy.

A total of only 195 lawmakers took part in the vote, with the 47-member Uri Party loyal to Roh boycotting the poll and chanting anti-impeachment slogans.