"Independent Adjudication Body, Never Swayed by Public Opinion Battles"… Constitutional Court Issues Warning to Political Circles

The Constitutional Court has issued a warning in response to baseless fairness disputes raised by the political circle regarding the impeachment trial procedure of President Yoon Suk-yeol.

On the 9th, Cheon Jae-hyun, the Constitutional Court spokesperson, held a briefing and said, "The claim that the Constitutional Court initiated impeachment trial procedures other than the president's impeachment trial at the request of the ruling party's floor leader is clearly contrary to the facts," adding, "We express concern that comments not based on facts give the impression that the Constitutional Court is not independent from the political circle."

Cheon Jae-hyun, Public Relations Officer of the Constitutional Court. Photo by Kang Jin-hyung

Earlier, some opposition figures raised suspicions that the Constitutional Court hastened the hearing dates of other impeachment cases besides President Yoon's at the request of the ruling party. They alleged that the ruling party pressured the Constitutional Court to slow down the progress of President Yoon's impeachment trial. Additionally, the ruling party expressed dissatisfaction over the Constitutional Court pre-scheduling up to the fifth hearing date for President Yoon's impeachment trial, suggesting it was rushed for the next presidential election schedule. As a result, far-right supporters have been recklessly criticizing some justices by name near the Constitutional Court.

Spokesperson Cheon emphasized, "The impeachment trial consists of a procedure where the petitioner and their representatives and the respondent and their representatives argue, and the Constitutional Court makes a conclusion on this," adding, "The Constitutional Court is an independent adjudicatory body that is never swayed by public opinion outside the courtroom and conducts a fair trial." He further stated, "If a party has objections to the procedure, the court will carefully consider and proceed accordingly," dismissing various political suspicions surrounding the trial procedure.

He also said, "The speed of case hearings is determined by the court," but rebutted, "So far, it is hard to say that the procedure is particularly fast compared to impeachment cases of former presidents." Cheon presented specific data, saying, "During former President Roh Moo-hyun's case, the impeachment hearing took a total of 63 days, and during former President Park Geun-hye's case, it took 19 days," adding, "From the case filing to the first hearing date, it took 18 days for former President Roh and 25 days for former President Park." He continued, "In the current case of President Yoon, the first hearing date is set 31 days after the filing," concluding, "Considering this, it is difficult to view the current progress as unusually fast."

Regarding President Yoon's impeachment trial case, the Constitutional Court announced that it secured some investigation records related to the December 3 emergency martial law incident from three agencies: the National Police Agency, the Ministry of National Defense prosecution team, and the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office, on the afternoon of the previous day. This was in response to a request for submission of related records made by the court on the 6th. However, the Constitutional Court stated that it is difficult to confirm specific details or volume. Both the National Assembly and President Yoon's representatives have applied to review the materials.

Meanwhile, President Yoon's side held a press conference targeting foreign media on the same day and announced plans to file a constitutional dispute trial and a provisional injunction to suspend the effect regarding the second arrest warrant issued against President Yoon. President Yoon's side had already applied for a provisional injunction for the first arrest warrant, whose execution period had expired, but the Constitutional Court's decision has not yet been made. Spokesperson Cheon said, "Currently, the hearing is underway starting from the legal requirements."