South Korea: Constitutional Court called to seal Yoon’s fate

South Korea’s opposition leader on Sunday called on the Constitutional Court to quickly seal the fate of ousted President Yoon Suk Yeol, so that the country can recover from the “national unrest” and “absurd situation” created by the surprise imposition of martial law on December 3.

The Constitutional Court has six months to validate or not the dismissal of Mr. Yoon, voted on Saturday by Parliament. If so, a presidential election will be held within two months.

“The Constitutional Court must quickly deal with the procedure for impeaching the president,” Lee Jae-myung, president of the Democratic Party, the main opposition force, said on Sunday. “This is the only way to limit the national unrest and alleviate the suffering of the population,” he added.

An arrest warrant for the head of the army’s special forces

The president of the Constitutional Court, Moon Hyung-bae, promised on Saturday evening “a rapid and fair procedure”. He summoned the other judges for a first meeting on this case Monday morning.

According to most experts, there is little doubt about the outcome as the violations of the Constitution and the law accused of Yoon Suk Yeol are blatant. Police arrested the current and former head of the military intelligence command on Sunday, Yonhap news agency reported.

Prosecutors said Sunday they were seeking an arrest warrant for the head of the army’s special forces, Kwak Jong-geun, according to Yonhap.

“We will send a second summons”

Kwak Jong-geun is accused of sending special forces troops to parliament during the attempted martial law, leading to a confrontation between soldiers and parliament staff.

South Korean justice also summoned Yoon Suk Yeol. “We asked him to report at 10:00 a.m. (02:00 a.m. Swiss time), but he refused to comply,” prosecutors said in a statement. “We will send a second summons,” they add.

On Saturday, police arrested Yeo In-hyung, head of the counterintelligence command.

It is obvious that Yoon Suk Yeol “tried to paralyze state functions,” Kim Hyun-jung, a researcher at the Institute of Law at Korea University, told AFP. “Even the most conservative academics recognized that this had caused a crisis in the constitutional order.”

“This absurd situation”

The opposition leader also demanded a thorough investigation into the events of the night of October 3 to 4, when Yoon Suk Yeol surprisingly announced the imposition of martial law and sent the army to Parliament to attempt to muzzle him, before backing down under pressure from deputies and demonstrators.

“To hold those responsible for this absurd situation accountable and to prevent it from happening again, it is essential to uncover the truth and demand accountability,” said Lee Jae-myung, who lost the presidential election narrowly against Yoon Suk Yeol in 2022, and is now the favorite to soon occupy his seat.

Yoon Suk Yeol is the subject of a criminal investigation for “rebellion”, a crime theoretically punishable by death, and is prohibited from leaving the country. His former Minister of Defense and several senior officials were arrested.

“President Biden expressed his appreciation”

The interim presidency is held by Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, who spoke with US President Joe Biden on Saturday evening.

“President Biden expressed his appreciation for the resilience of democracy and the rule of law in the Republic of Korea,” the White House said in a statement.

“The two leaders discussed the significant progress made in recent years in strengthening the U.S.-ROK alliance, and President Biden expressed confidence that the alliance will remain the pillar of peace and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific region during the tenure of Acting President Han,” she added.

The United States taken by surprise

North Korea commented on Monday morning on the ongoing procedure in its southern neighbor: “The investigation into the puppet Yoon Suk Yeol, the leader of the rebellion, and his accomplices is underway,” wrote the official North agency. -Korean KCNA. The term “puppet” is frequently used by KCNA to describe the ties between the leaders of South Korea and the United States.

Yoon Suk Yeol’s coup took the United States, South Korea’s main ally, by surprise. White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said the US government learned of the news on television. According to him, these unexpected events have caused “deep concern” in Washington.

During his two and a half years at the head of South Korea, Yoon Suk Yeol visited the United States five times and worked to strengthen the alliance with Washington, crucial in the face of the military threat of North Korea. About 28,500 American troops are stationed in South Korea.

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