Synopsis
The South Korean Constitutional Court upheld the National Assembly's impeachment motion against acting President Han Duck-soo, confirming that a quorum standard applicable to Cabinet ministers was appropriately used, which did not violate the Constitution. This ruling followed a prior reinstatement of Han by the court.Key Takeaways
- The South Korean Constitutional Court upheld the impeachment motion against acting President Han Duck-soo.
- A quorum standard for Cabinet ministers was determined to be valid.
- The court dismissed a dispute from 108 PPP lawmakers regarding the vote.
- The impeachment vote passed with unanimous support of 192-0.
- Yoon Suk Yeol is set to leave the presidential residence.
Seoul, April 10 (NationPress) The South Korean Constitutional Court confirmed on Thursday the legitimacy of the National Assembly's impeachment motion against acting President Han Duck-soo. The court ruled that applying a quorum standard meant for Cabinet ministers instead of the president did not breach the Constitution.
In a decisive 6-2 verdict, the court dismissed a dispute raised by 108 lawmakers from the People Power Party (PPP) against National Assembly Speaker Woo Won-shik. This ruling followed closely after the same court reinstated Han to his position.
The impeachment motion was passed with a vote of 192-0, targeting Han, who was acting as both prime minister and acting president, due to the suspension of then President Yoon Suk Yeol over the brief declaration of martial law on December 3, according to reports from Yonhap.
This motion arose after Han declined to appoint additional justices to the Constitutional Court to address Yoon’s impeachment trial.
PPP lawmakers chose to boycott the vote, asserting that the speaker improperly applied a simple majority quorum, which is generally reserved for Cabinet ministers, instead of the two-thirds majority of 200 votes necessary for presidential impeachments.
In retaliation, the PPP lawmakers initiated a lawsuit, contending that their ability to deliberate and vote had been compromised.
However, the court rejected their assertions, stating that the speaker's actions were not in violation of the Constitution or any laws. It emphasized that the PPP lawmakers had voluntarily abstained from the vote, thus invalidating their claims of rights infringement.
Meanwhile, Yoon Suk Yeol is expected to vacate the presidential residence on Friday to move to his private home in southern Seoul, as confirmed by officials on Thursday, following his ousting the previous week.
"Yoon intends to depart the official residence at 5 pm Friday and transition to his private residence," stated a senior official in a press release.
Reports indicate that the Presidential Security Service (PSS) has organized a security team of about 40 individuals for Yoon’s private residence. According to current laws, Yoon is eligible for protection from the PSS for up to ten years.
His private residence is situated in the Acrovista apartment complex in Seocho-dong, southern Seoul, where he previously resided for six months after his inauguration in May 2022.
Yoon and his spouse, Kim Keon Hee, are reportedly contemplating relocating to another private residence in the capital region due to their ownership of as many as 11 pets, including dogs and cats, which could lead to inconveniences for neighbors with the presence of security personnel.
