Moon Hyungbae: "Impeachment Verdict Took Time, but Unanimous Decision Led to Swift Acceptance"

Moon Hyungbae, Former Acting Chief Justice of the Constitutional Court, Delivers Special Lecture at Ulsan Metropolitan Office of Education
"It Is an Era of Dialogue and Compromise, Not Decisive Action"
"The State Exists to Guarantee the Fundamental Rights of Its People"

"Although it took longer than expected to deliver the impeachment verdict, I believe the subsequent acceptance was swift because the decision was unanimous." On the 25th, Moon Hyungbae, former Acting Chief Justice of the Constitutional Court, shared these thoughts regarding the impeachment verdict of former President Yoon Sukyeol during a special lecture.

Moon Hyungbae, former Acting Chief Justice of the Constitutional Court, gave a special lecture on the constitution to faculty and staff at the Ulsan Metropolitan Office of Education auditorium on the 25th. Photo by Yonhap News

Yonhap News reported that on this day, a special lecture by Moon was held at the Ulsan Metropolitan Office of Education auditorium under the theme "Considering Education from a Constitutional Perspective."

Regarding the impeachment verdict delivered on April 4, Moon noted, "The media predicted the verdict would be announced on March 14," and added, "If the decision had been made that day, I wonder whether the public would have accepted it." He continued, "Although it took more time, the fact that the verdict was unanimous at 8-0 may have led to faster acceptance afterward."

Moon emphasized that in today's society, deliberation, dialogue, and compromise are more important than making decisive judgments. He stated, "In the past, we made decisions, but now, all issues that could be resolved by decisive action have already been addressed," and added, "The remaining issues can only be solved when members of society engage in prolonged dialogue, compromise, revise, and reach a final agreement."

Addressing the conflict over increasing the medical school quota, he pointed out, "A decision was made to increase the quota by 2,000, yet the number of doctors has decreased," and argued, "If the National Assembly had engaged in dialogue and gathered opinions from the medical community, I believe the medical school quota would have increased by at least 500 by now."

When asked which article of the constitution he favored most, Moon chose Article 10. He explained, "Article 10 states, 'All citizens shall be assured of human dignity and worth and have the right to pursue happiness. The State shall confirm and guarantee the inviolable fundamental human rights of individuals,'" and added, "In the German constitution, this is Article 1."

He went on to say, "The idea that the people exist because of the state is nonsense; the reason for the state's existence is to guarantee the fundamental rights of its people," and added, "If the constitution is ever amended, I personally believe this provision should become Article 1."

Approximately 400 people, including Ulsan Superintendent Cheon Changsoo and faculty, attended the lecture. During the Q&A session, participants actively asked questions about the difficulties they face in the field and socially sensitive issues.

While the lecture was underway, a conservative group held a protest in front of the Ulsan Office of Education, chanting slogans such as "Yoon Again" in opposition to Moon's special lecture.