News Mania Desk / Piyal Chatterjee / 16th December 2024
South Korea’s Constitutional Court began considering President Yoon Suk Yeol’s impeachment over his Dec. 3 martial law proclamation, kicking off a process to determine if he would be removed from office, while investigators expect to examine him this week on criminal charges.
The court’s six justices met on Saturday to discuss preparations for examining the impeachment by the opposition-controlled parliament, and the first public hearing would be held on December 27, spokesman Lee Jean told a press conference.The court has six months to decide whether Yoon should be removed from office or reinstated. Lee stated that the first hearing will be “preparatory” in nature, with the goal of confirming important legal problems in the case as well as the timeline.
Yoon and many top officials may face rebellion charges in connection with the brief martial law. A joint team of the police, the defense ministry, and an anti-corruption agency intends to examine Yoon about the accusations at 10 a.m. (0100 GMT) on Wednesday, a police official told Reuters.
According to Yonhap News, the presidential security agency rejected to accept a summons for Yoon to attend, citing a lack of capacity. According to an anti-corruption agency, the summons was also issued by registered fast mail.Yoon, a career prosecutor before becoming president in his maiden try for political office, has appointed a former prosecutor, Kim Hong-il, to oversee a team of attorneys in the impeachment process.
The administration, led by acting President Han Duck-soo, has continued to reassure foreign partners and investors, and political parties have committed to work together to calm the situation. The finance minister, governor of the Bank of Korea, and senior financial regulators convened early Monday and agreed to monitor financial and foreign exchange markets around the clock. Yoon’s sudden martial rule announcement and the resulting political turmoil alarmed markets and South Korea’s diplomatic partners, who were concerned about the country’s capacity to prevent nuclear-armed North Korea.Members of parliament have also expressed worry that the martial law crisis has been detrimental at a time when South Korea should be preparing for the second Donald Trump administration in the United States, the country’s main ally.
Finance Minister Choi Sang-mok and People Power Party floor leader Kweon Seong-dong addressed how to address economic difficulties, especially the increased uncertainty caused by Trump’s threat to raise tariffs. Opposition Democratic Party chairman Lee Jae-myung hailed Trump’s appointment of his former intelligence head to handle special missions, including North Korea, as a sign of willingness to diplomacy to reduce tensions. Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul said Richard Grenell’s selection suggested that North Korea will be a primary priority for Trump’s presidency. Trump met North Korean leader Kim Jong Un three times during his first term.
The benchmark KOSPI index (.KS11), opens new tab, dipped on Monday, following last week’s high advances ahead to the impeachment, as traders were seen taking profits amid reduced political uncertainty.
The Saturday impeachment vote passed with at least 12 members of Yoon’s ruling party voting in favor, throwing the party into chaos and prompting its head, Han Dong-hoon, to quit on Monday.
