South Korea begins impeachment proceedings against Mr. Yoon

Yesterday, the Constitutional Court of South Korea held its first session to start the impeachment process of Yoon Suk Yeol - the country's 13th president, while investigators continued to summon him to take testimony related to the declaration of martial law.

Priority processing

Constitutional Court spokesman Lee Jean announced yesterday that the first hearing to collect investigative documents from relevant parties and confirmed that the proceedings will take place on December 27, according to Yonhap News Agency. Earlier, the National Assembly passed a bill to impeach Mr. Yoon for declaring martial law earlier this month on charges of rebellion. Mr. Yoon was suspended from office and Prime Minister Han Duck-soo became acting president while the case was transferred to the Constitutional Court for review.

Police in front of the Constitutional Court of South Korea in Seoul on December 16.

If six of the nine members of the court find him guilty, Yoon will be removed from office and a presidential election will be held within 60 days. Otherwise, he will continue in office. Currently, the Constitutional Court has three judges vacancies, meaning all six remaining judges must vote in favor for Yoon to be removed. However, legal experts say it is unlikely that the court will make a ruling as important as this one without enough judges. Therefore, it is likely that the court will ask the National Assembly to elect additional judges. According to The Korea Times , the parties have nominated candidates for judges and the approval is expected to be completed by the end of this month.

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol Impeached

The court has six months to decide, and Lee said she would prioritize it. In the last two impeachment cases against President Roh Moo-hyun in 2004 and President Park Geun-hye in 2016, the court took two and three months, respectively, to make a decision. This time, the court is expected to make a decision before the end of April 2025, before the two justices retire.

Investigation promotion

In another development, prosecutors yesterday continued to summon Mr. Yoon for questioning in a criminal investigation into charges of rebellion and abuse of power related to the declaration of martial law. The leader did not comply with a similar request over the weekend, saying he had not hired enough lawyers to represent him, according to Yonhap.

At least four separate investigations into Mr. Yoon are ongoing in parallel, including by prosecutors, police, the government’s anti-corruption agency and the defense ministry. Yesterday, a joint investigation team of the three agencies also sent a summons to Mr. Yoon, but the presidential security force refused to accept it. If Mr. Yoon continues to be uncooperative, investigators could ask the court to issue an arrest warrant.

The leader is currently banned from leaving the country and faces a lengthy prison sentence if convicted of rebellion. Two former South Korean presidents have been tried for treason and rebellion, Chun Doo-hwan and Roh Tae-woo, for their role in suppressing protests in the 1980s. Both were convicted after leaving office and later pardoned.

The Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported yesterday that the South Korean parliament impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol on December 14, calling the leader a "rebellious leader." KCNA detailed the events leading up to the impeachment and criticized Mr. Yoon for trying to shift the blame to the opposition and denying the accusation of rebellion.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/han-quoc-khoi-dong-quy-trinh-luan-toi-ong-yoon-18524121622210801.htm