Impeachment Tied to Emergency Martial Law
Constitutional Court Issues Series of Dismissals Except for Yoon
The Constitutional Court will deliver its ruling on the impeachment trial of Minister of Justice Park Seong-jae, whose impeachment bill passed the National Assembly on charges including involvement in the 12·3 emergency martial law. This comes 119 days after the impeachment motion was approved by the National Assembly on December 12 last year. The court, which has issued 'dismissal' decisions in all impeachment rulings except for former President Yoon Seok-yeol, draws attention as to what decision it will make regarding Minister Park.
On the 7th, the Constitutional Court announced, "The ruling on Minister Park's impeachment case is scheduled for 2 p.m. on the 10th in the Grand Bench courtroom." If the court upholds the National Assembly's impeachment motion, Minister Park will be dismissed from office. Conversely, if the motion is dismissed or rejected, he will immediately return to his duties.
Earlier, on the 18th of last month, the Constitutional Court held the first hearing for Minister Park's impeachment trial, which lasted about two hours before concluding the arguments. The National Assembly cited reasons for impeachment including aiding the declaration of emergency martial law, refusal to submit materials to the National Assembly, and leaving the plenary session prematurely. Jeong Cheong-rae, chairman of the National Assembly’s Judiciary Committee, stated, "If the respondent was directly or indirectly involved in rebellion, a stern dismissal must be carried out according to the Constitution."
In response, Minister Park’s side argued for dismissal, claiming that the National Assembly’s resolution process was hasty and the grounds for impeachment were unclear. In his final statement, Minister Park said, "Without any separate investigation or evidence collection procedures, the absurd argument that 'silence on emergency martial law equals conspiracy' was used as grounds for impeachment," calling it "an abuse of the right to impeach and a disruption of the constitutional order."
With the ruling on Minister Park, all conclusions will be reached for public officials impeached in connection with emergency martial law, except for Police Chief Jo Ji-ho. The Constitutional Court has consistently dismissed impeachment trials for public officials, excluding former President Yoon Seok-yeol, filed during Yoon’s administration. Eight officials, including Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, former Minister of the Interior and Safety Lee Sang-min, and Chairman of the Board of Audit and Inspection Choi Jae-hae, were impeached but all returned to their duties.
Meanwhile, on the 10th, the Constitutional Court plans to deliver rulings on 38 cases, including the impeachment trial of Minister Park, the jurisdictional dispute filed by 108 members of the People Power Party against National Assembly Speaker Woo Won-shik in response to the approval of the impeachment motion against Acting President and Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, and general constitutional complaints.
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