Constitutional Court to Hold First Pretrial Hearing on Minister Lee Sang-min's Impeachment Trial on the 4th of Next Month

Lee Jong-seok, Moon Hyung-bae, and Lee Mi-sun Designated as 'Lifetime Judges'

The preparatory hearing for the impeachment case of Minister of the Interior and Safety Sang-min Lee will be held on the 4th of next month.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

According to the legal community on the 13th, the Constitutional Court will hold a preparatory hearing for the oral arguments at 2 p.m. on the 4th of next month to hear the opinions of Minister Lee and the National Assembly.

The preparatory hearing is a procedure held before the oral arguments, where the petitioner, respondent, and their representatives appear to organize the issues surrounding claims and evidence based on the submitted documents in advance. It also decides on the submission of evidence and the adoption of witnesses. Justices Jong-seok Lee, Hyeong-bae Moon, and Mi-seon Lee have been appointed as the justices for the preparatory hearing.

Minister Lee has formed a defense team centered around Kim Neung-hwan, a senior counsel at the law firm Yulchon and former Supreme Court justice (Judicial Research and Training Institute class 7), and Ahn Dae-hee, a senior counsel at the law firm Pyeongan (class 7). The legal team also includes Yoon Yong-seop, a lawyer at Yulchon (class 10) who previously represented former President Roh during his impeachment trial in 2004 and served as the head of the Constitutional Court research department. Kim Do-eup, chairman of the National Assembly Legislation and Judiciary Committee, who acts as the prosecutor, has not yet appointed legal counsel.

The National Assembly passed the impeachment motion against Minister Lee on grounds including constitutional violations related to disaster prevention and response, violations of the State Public Officials Act, and violations of the Framework Act on the Management of Disasters and Safety.

After receiving the impeachment motion from the National Assembly last month, the Constitutional Court designated Justice Jong-seok Lee as the presiding justice and formed a task force (TF) to review the issues and legal principles.

All nine justices participate in the impeachment trial, and if six or more agree, the respondent can be dismissed from office. A dismissed person cannot serve as a public official for five years.