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 Mr. Yoon Suk Yeol - the 13th president of this country, while investigators continued to summon him to take testimony related to the declaration of martial law.

Priority processing

The first hearing to collect investigative documents from relevant parties and confirm the proceedings will take place on December 27, Yonhap news agency reported yesterday. The National Assembly earlier 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 60 days later. Otherwise, he will continue his term as president. Currently, the Constitutional Court has three judges vacancies, meaning all six remaining members must vote in favor for Yoon to be removed from office. However, legal experts say it is unlikely that the court will make a decision as important as this case 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 judge candidates 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 Ms. 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 judges retire.

Promote investigation

In another development, prosecutors yesterday continued to summon Mr. Yoon for testimony in a criminal investigation into allegations 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 underway in parallel, including by prosecutors, police, the government’s anti-corruption office and the defense ministry . Yesterday, a joint investigation team of the three remaining 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 if convicted of rebellion, he faces a lengthy prison sentence. Two former South Korean presidents have been tried for treason and rebellion: Chun Doo-hwan and Roh Tae-woo, both of whom 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