Gwangju Catholic Priests Condemn Constitutional Court for Dismissing Impeachment of Han and Delaying Judgment on Yoon

Barricades have been installed at the entrance of the Constitutional Court in Jongno-gu, Seoul, as the ruling on the impeachment trial of President Yoon Seokyeol approaches on the 24th. Photo by Yonhap News

Catholic priests and religious figures in Gwangju strongly condemned the Constitutional Court's dismissal of the impeachment of Prime Minister Han Ducksoo and the delay in the impeachment trial of President Yoon Sukyeol.

On the 29th, the Catholic priests and religious figures of Gwangju issued a statement on the current situation, saying, "Even after hearing the Constitutional Court's decision that 'the Prime Minister, as acting President, violated his constitutional duty by not appointing the three justices elected by the National Assembly,' Han has deliberately left the positions vacant," they said. "At the same time, he lectures the public, saying, 'The Constitutional Court's decision is a legal judgment made through a democratic process and must be respected.' The Prime Minister's double standards were caused by the Constitutional Court itself," they argued.

They pointed out, "The Constitutional Court said, 'He violated his duty to uphold the Constitution and faithfully observe the law,' but then added, 'It cannot be concluded that this constitutes a betrayal of the people's trust,' and reinstated him to office. What does it mean to say that a crime was committed but the person cannot be considered a criminal?"

They also condemned, "The anger of citizens who were waiting for a swift and decisive ruling (on President Yoon's impeachment) is about to explode. Social instability and chaos have surpassed the critical point. It's like firefighters who are supposed to extinguish a fire instead participating in arson."

Furthermore, they added, "Is it really so difficult to punish the unconstitutional and illegal acts of mobilizing the military and police to blockade and seize the National Assembly and the National Election Commission, and attempting to arrest politicians and judges? Even now, delivering a just verdict is the command of the people, who are the true owners of the Constitutional Court."