Interim head of state Goh Kun has urged citizens to stay calm.

South Korea's Prime Minister Goh Kun has urged citizens to remain calm after taking over as interim head of state following an unprecedented impeachment vote against President Roh Moo-hyun. Goh, known as "Mr. Stability" began his first full day in charge Saturday. South Korea's National Assembly on Friday voted overwhelmingly to impeach Roh amid seasons of mayhem on the floor of parliament. Goh said the government would maintain its alliance with Washington and will still send troops to Iraq. He said the South would also maintain its policies toward communist North Korea. South Korea, which is Asia's fourth largest economy, saw its stock market plunge more than 5 percent Friday after the vote, before recovering to a loss of 2.5 percent. There were no reports of unusual North Korean military movements following the political upheaval, but South Korea's military stepped up vigilance against its neighbor. Defense Minister Cho Young-kil said Saturday the impeachment caused a "crisis situation in the supreme military command." He did not elaborate but urged U.S. military assistance in maintaining "impeccable vigilance without the slightest wavering." The night before, thousands of angry South Koreans held candlelight vigils across the country to protest the impeachment of President Roh Moo-hyun, the country's first such move against a leader. The protests were peaceful but underlined new instability in a nation already juggling a nuclear standoff with North Korea, a sluggish economy and a tumultuous run-up to parliamentary elections next month. Goh stressed the need for continuity and calm in a brief statement delivered early Saturday. He said the government "will conduct all its national projects and policies tasks without changes." Goh also pledged to follow through on the government's plans to send 3,000 troops to help rebuild Iraq, to maintain the U.S. alliance and to seek a peaceful end to the North Korean nuclear crisis. "I earnestly urge the people to help restore social stability and economic vitality so that the concern the world has about the situation in our country will turn into the usual trust," Goh said. The impeachment unnerved many South Koreans, but there were no reports of civic unrest. 'Mr Stability' The 66-year-old Goh, who has served various posts under six successive governments, earned the nicknames "Mr. Stability" and "Master Administrator" for his ability to survive a South Korean political landscape often riddled with military coups, civic unrest and parliamentary machinations. Goh will perform the executive duties until the Constitutional Court rules on whether to unseat Roh. A decision that could take up to six months. But the court said Saturday its nine members would first gather next Thursday to review the case. The court normally convenes all justices every Thursday. The opposition-controlled National Assembly voted Friday to impeach Roh on grounds of illegal electioneering and incompetence. In a National Security Council meeting Saturday, Foreign Minister Ban Ki-moon stressed the government's commitment to continuing the foreign policy first laid down by Roh. Ban had called U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell on Friday night to relay there would be no change in policy toward North Korea or the United States. Defense Minister Cho also met Saturday morning with U.S. Gen. Leon J. LaPorte, commander of U.S. forces in South Korea. Details of the talks were not immediately available. The United States has 37,000 troops in South Korea, a legacy of the 1950-53 Korea War. On Friday evening, protests had erupted around the country, including rallies in Seoul, Busan, Taegu and Kwangju. Police estimated around 12,000 Roh supporters gathered outside the capital's National Assembly waving candles and chanting "Impeachment is null and void!" Fueling the rallies was a widespread perception that the opposition Grand National and Millennium Democratic parties had launched the impeachment bid for political gain ahead of nationwide parliamentary polls April 15. A poll taken by broadcaster KBS found 70 percent of South Koreans thought the impeachment was wrong, while another by Yonhap news agency indicated 70 percent believed it was unjust. The KBS poll's margin of error was 3.3 percent while Yonhap's was 3.07 percent. Goh will lead the nation until a Constitutional Court decides whether the president should be removed -- a process that could take up to six months. For the impeachment to be conclusive, six of the court's nine judges will have to back the assembly's decision. The 57-year-old Roh, a human rights lawyer, is accused of violating election laws and has apologized for leading the country into a political crisis ahead of parliamentary elections next month. The unprecedented vote prompted incredible scenes on the floor of the assembly with security guards dragging pro-Roh parliamentarians from the chamber while other supporters shouted and wept as results of the vote emerged. Roh's backers were furious at the results of the country's first impeachment vote since the nation was founded in 1948 -- some threw their shoes at the speaker while others wept, yelled, crouched on the floor or sang the national anthem. The South Korean market was quick to react to the political uncertainty, with shares tumbling more than 5.5. percent after the news, recovering later in the day to end 2.4 percent lower at 848.80. Meanwhile on the streets of Seoul, people were shocked and concerned about what Roh's suspension meant for a nation with an already fragile economy and a tense relationship with North Korea. 'Very much justified' lawmakers and security personnel protect the speaker as he reads the result of the vote The decision to push for an impeachment came after South Korea's National Election Commission ruled that Roh should not have publicly aired his backing of the breakaway Uri Party in April's upcoming parliamentary elections. Opposition lawmaker Park Jin said Friday's decision to impeach Roh was "very much justified," blaming illegal campaigning, financial scandals and an inability to run the country for the success of the vote. Asked if Roh should now resign, Park said: "We are not forcing him to do so, that is his decision." On Thursday, lawmakers loyal to Roh blocked the National Assembly from voting by occupying the speaker's podium in the parliament. The session was then adjourned because speaker Park Kwan-yong could not reach the podium to call the vote. The battle went through the night, with politicians cursing and shoving each other as 20 opposition legislators tried to remove the loyalists. Commenting on the violence in the assembly, Park said the opposition had tried to avoid physical contact "but we had no other choice but to do so." "History will judge whether our action today was justified or not," he told CNN. Couldn't sleep Roh, who was not in the chamber for the vote, earlier Friday apologized for the unprecedented political crisis. "I deeply apologize to the people for the country being led into this impeachment crisis," Roh said in a statement read by his chief spokesman, Reuters reports. "I couldn't sleep at all last night." But the opposition was quick to dismiss Roh's statement. "It's too late, and it's difficult to accept the sincerity of the apology," said Kim Young-tae, spokesman for the opposition Millennium Democratic Party and a member of parliament. The South Korean leader had earlier hinted he might step down if his supporting lawmakers fared poorly during the nationwide April poll. "I will make a political decision according the result of the parliamentary elections," Roh said. "I will use the people's will reflected in the parliamentary elections to judge what I should do." "The bold decision I will make includes the question of whether I will step down or not." Since taking office in February 2003, Roh's camp has been rocked by a series of corruption scandals. Several close aides to Roh have come under scrutiny for alleged corruption, while three former aides were last year indicted on charges of collection of illicit funds for last year's presidential campaign. On Thursday Roh apologized for the corruption, saying, "First of all, I am sorry ... I bow my head and extend my apology." (Quoted)