The court then has up to six months in which to determine whether or not to dismiss the president from his office or reinstate the president.
- Of six justices, five attended meetings about the impeachment of president.
- Improper that they could launch an investigation and not interrogate the impeached president this week.
- The court now has up to six months to decide whether to remove or reinstate him.
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SEOUL: South Korea’s Constitutional Court will start Monday on impeachment of Yoon Suk Yeol for the event of martial law on December 3 and investigators expect to interrogate him this same week.
The sitting will involve all the six current justices of the court as the opposition-led parliament approved the impeachment on Saturday. The court has up to six months for a decision on whether to discharge Yoon from his offices or to reinstate him.
Justice Kim Hyung-du mentioned that the Constitutional Court will openly talk about the measures and details of the presentations of the case.
Oral arguments began in the court about three weeks after the parliament voted to impeach then-President Park Geun-hye on the grounds of abusing the powers of her office and took another three months to deliver a ruling to remove her from the presidency.
Some of the senior officials and Yoon are facing potential charges of insurrection because of the short-lived martial law. A combined team of detectives from the police force, the defense ministry, and the anti-corruption agency intend to apprehend Yoon for questioning at 10 am Wednesday, a police source said. question him this week.
All six current justices of the court will attend the first meeting over the impeachment, which the opposition-led parliament passed on Saturday. The court has up to six months to decide whether to remove Yoon from office or to reinstate him.
Justice Kim Hyung-du has said the Constitutional Court will discuss procedures and how to conduct arguments.
In 2017, the court began oral arguments about three weeks after parliament voted to impeach then-President Park Geun-hye over abusing the powers of her office, and took three months to issue a ruling to strip her presidency.
Yoon and several senior officials face potential charges of insurrection, for the short-lived martial law.
A joint team of investigators from the police, the defense ministry, and an anti-corruption agency are planning to call Yoon in for questioning at 10 am on Wednesday, a police official told Reuters.
On Sunday Yoon did not show up to answer summonses from a different investigation by the prosecutor’s office, as revealed by Yonhap news, Yoon alleged that he is in the process of constituting a legal team to defend himself..
Prime Minister Han Duck-soo’s acting government was busy assuring the counterpart and calming the financial markets as well as major opposition vowed to help stabilize the situation.
Meanwhile, on Monday morning the finance minister, the governor of the Bank of Korea, and top financial regulators conduct an around-the-clock watch of the financial and foreign exchange markets.
KOSPI gained for a consecutive five days on Monday and was at its highest since June 16, as government officials pledged to help calm the financial markets and investors noticed a reduction in political risk.
The recent martial law decree by Yoon and the political unpredictability that ensued upset investors and South Korea’s allies, who feared that Seoul could not adequately threaten North Korea, a nuclear-armed state.
During one of his initial actions as an acting president, Han had a phone conversation with Joe Biden, the US President on Sunday, promising that South Korea will continue to remain loyal to the stated policies on foreign and security that existed between their societies, specifically between their two countries.
Democratic Party leader Lee Jae-Myung said that the Former head of intelligence, appointed by US president-elect Donald Trump, to tackle special projects including North Korea is a positive sign of willingness to engage in talks in order to reduce tension.
The Saturday impeachment vote adopted at least 12 members of Yoon’s ruling People Power Party, throwing the party into turmoil with its leader Han Dong-hoon’s resignation on Monday.
Han had come out in support of the impeachment process which Yoon started for him as the only cure for the situation in the country, and had fallen out with some members who still supported the move after seeing its merits.
FAQs
1. Why is President Yoon being impeached?
The impeachment may relate to allegations of misconduct, abuse of power, or violations of constitutional law. Specific charges would depend on the details of the case.
2. What is the role of the Constitutional Court?
The Constitutional Court reviews the National Assembly’s impeachment motion to determine its legality and validity. It decides whether to uphold or dismiss the impeachment.
3. How long does the review process take?
The process can take several months as the court examines evidence, hears arguments from both sides, and deliberates on its ruling.
4. What happens if the impeachment is upheld?
If upheld, President Yoon will be permanently removed from office, and a new presidential election will be held within 60 days.