Packed until the 20th... Impeachment Trial Week

First Hearing for Lee Changsu and Others on the 17th
Ninth and Tenth Hearings for Yoon on the 18th and 20th... Han Ducksoo and Hong Jangwon to Testify at the Tenth
Han Ducksoo's Impeachment Trial Hearing Also Scheduled for the 19th

The Constitutional Court's impeachment trial will continue daily until the 20th. On the 17th, the first hearing for three prosecutors, including Lee Chang-su, Chief Prosecutor of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office, was held 74 days after the National Assembly passed the impeachment motion. The 9th and 10th hearings for President Yoon Seok-yeol's impeachment trial (on the 18th and 20th) and the first hearing for Prime Minister Han Duck-soo's impeachment trial (on the 19th) will be held consecutively. The hearing for Prime Minister Han's case comes 54 days after the National Assembly's approval of the impeachment motion.

Acting Chief Justice Moon Hyung-bae of the Constitutional Court and the justices are entering the '8th hearing of President Yoon Seok-yeol's impeachment trial' held at the Constitutional Court in Jongno-gu, Seoul on February 13, 2025. Photo by Joint Press Corps

At the first impeachment hearing on the 17th at the Constitutional Court for the three prosecutors?Lee Chang-su, Chief Prosecutor of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office; Cho Sang-won, 4th Deputy Chief; and Choi Jae-hoon, Head of the Anti-Corruption Division 2?the prosecution side, impeached for allegedly failing to properly investigate First Lady Kim Geon-hee's suspected involvement in stock price manipulation of Deutsche Motors, clashed with the National Assembly side over whether the 'non-prosecution decision process' was lawful and whether it constituted grounds for impeachment.

On the National Assembly side, led by Jeong Cheong-rae, Chair of the Legislation and Judiciary Committee from the Democratic Party of Korea, it was argued that the prosecutors failed to faithfully fulfill their duties, violated the principle of equality and the obligation of political neutrality by conducting 'non-public business trip investigations.' In response, the prosecution side argued for dismissal, claiming that despite the existence of an appeal system against 'non-prosecution decisions,' the National Assembly's direct impeachment of prosecutors constituted an abuse of the impeachment right. The Constitutional Court stated, "There are documents requested for submission that have not been returned," and decided to conduct direct questioning of the parties on the 24th and then conclude the hearing.

On the 18th, the 9th hearing of President Yoon's impeachment trial will involve the president and the National Assembly side summarizing and presenting their claims and the gist of written evidence instead of witness questioning. At the 10th hearing on the 20th, three witnesses, including Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, former First Deputy Director of the National Intelligence Service Hong Jang-won, and Police Commissioner Cho Ji-ho, will testify. The hearing is expected to feature disputes over the 'Emergency Martial Law Cabinet Meeting' and the 'Hong Jang-won Memo.' This will be Hong's second appearance as a witness. However, the 10th hearing date is subject to change as President Yoon's side has requested a rescheduling, citing a conflict with the first preparatory hearing of President Yoon's criminal trial.

On the 19th, the first hearing of Prime Minister Han's impeachment trial will be held alongside a public hearing on the jurisdictional dispute filed by members of the People Power Party, who raised objections to the quorum for the approval of Han's impeachment motion, against National Assembly Speaker Woo Won-shik.