South Korea: Constitutional Court Initiates Impeachment Proceedings for Yoon
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Seoul, Dec 14 (NationPress) The Constitutional Court of South Korea has commenced a process on Saturday to review a parliamentary decision aimed at impeaching President Yoon Suk Yeol due to his unsuccessful attempt to impose martial law.
Yoon's impeachment resolution was presented to the Constitutional Court at 6:15 p.m. by Jung Chung-rae, the chair of the National Assembly's Legislative and Judiciary Committee, as confirmed by a court official.
Moon Hyung-bae, the acting chief of the Constitutional Court, announced plans to convene a meeting of judges at 10 a.m. on Monday, pledging a 'swift and fair' trial, according to reports from Yonhap news agency.
The Court has also resolved to appoint two judges to oversee the examination of evidence and establish a legal review task force comprising constitutional experts.
In a parallel development, the National Assembly of South Korea voted on Saturday to impeach President Yoon Suk Yeol over his failed martial law declaration.
Yoon will be suspended from his duties immediately upon the delivery of the impeachment resolution to his office, with Prime Minister Han Duck-soo stepping in as Acting President, as reported by Yonhap news agency.
The impeachment motion against Yoon passed with a vote of 204-85, including three abstentions and eight invalid ballots, with all 300 lawmakers participating in the voting process.
Yoon Suk Yeol's controversial martial law order, the first of its kind in over 40 years, was active for only six hours but has sparked considerable political unrest, interrupted diplomatic relations, and unsettled financial markets.
Following a unanimous decision by the South Korean parliament to revoke the decree, Yoon was forced to retract the order. After declaring martial law, Yoon had stationed hundreds of troops and police officers at the parliament to impede the vote on the decree; however, they withdrew once the parliament voted against it.
Yoon now stands as the second President to face impeachment proceedings. After the motion's approval, the Constitutional Court will determine whether to reinstate Yoon or to remove him from office permanently. He follows the path of Park Geun-hye, who was ousted in 2017.
Park Geun-hye, who assumed the presidency in 2013, underwent parliamentary impeachment, which was upheld by the Constitutional Court in March 2017, resulting in her prosecution and subsequent imprisonment. She faced allegations of leaking classified information, maintaining a list of artists critical of her policies, and dismissing officials who opposed her decisions.
