The leader of the ruling party in South Korea announced his resignation on Monday, December 16, two days after the adoption in Parliament of an impeachment motion against deposed President Yoon Suk Yeol, punished for his short-lived martial law.
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“I am leaving my post as leader of the People Power Party [PPP] »Han Dong-hoon said in a televised press conference, adding that he was presenting his “sincere apologies to all those who suffered due to martial law”.
The deputies adopted on Saturday evening a motion of impeachment against Mr. Yoon, now suspended, sanctioning his brief martial law of the night of December 3 to 4. The former star prosecutor stunned the country by declaring this state of exception by surprise and sending the army to Parliament in order to muzzle him, before having to backpedal barely six hours later under pressure from the National Assembly and demonstrators.
Constitutional Court launches review of impeachment
The South Korean Constitutional Court also began a first meeting on Monday to discuss the timetable for the impeachment procedure of Yoon Suk Yeol. “The first meeting of deliberations concerning the motion for impeachment [de Yoon Suk Yeol] started at 10 a.m. [2 heures, heure de Paris] »indicated a spokesperson for the Court to Agence France-Presse.
The Constitutional Court has approximately six months to rule on the validity of this impeachment motion. If confirmed, Mr. Yoon will be deposed and a presidential election must be held within two months. The winner will be invested the day after the result, without the usual transition period. During this period of up to eight months, Prime Minister Han Duck-soo will act as interim minister. In his first words as temporary leader, he pledged to do everything possible to ensure a “stable governance”.
The President of the Court, Moon Hyung-bae, promised shortly after the vote a “quick and fair procedure”.
According to most experts, there is little doubt about the outcome, as the violations of the Constitution and the law accused of Mr. Yoon are blatant. The Constitutional Court normally has nine judges but three retired in October without being replaced, due to the political deadlock in the country. Six votes being required to ratify an impeachment, a unanimous judgment will be necessary to dismiss Yoon Suk Yeol.
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Opposition leader Lee Jae-myung said on Sunday that a quick decision was “the only way to limit the national unrest and alleviate the suffering of the population”. A political star entangled in affairs that could cost him his eligibility, Mr. Lee is a favorite among analysts in the event of a new election. In 2022, he lost to Mr. Yoon by the narrowest margin in South Korean history.
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Lee Jae-myung was convicted in November of violating election laws but the verdict was stayed. If convicted, he would no longer be able to appear. If, however, he were elected before the decision, the proceedings would be interrupted, due to presidential immunity.
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Investigation for “rebellion”
Yoon Suk Yeol is under criminal investigation for “rebellion”a crime theoretically punishable by death, and is no longer allowed to leave the country. The unpopular deposed leader, 63, has ” denied “ to appear in court on Sunday, prosecutors having announced that they would summon him a second time.
If his impeachment is confirmed, he would become the second South Korean president officially removed from office, after Park Geun-hye in 2017. For Mme Park, charged with corruption, the Court ratified Parliament’s decision ninety-two days after its vote.
There is, however, a reverse precedent. In March 2004, MPs also passed an impeachment motion against Roh Moo-hyun, but it was invalidated two months later by the Constitutional Court.
North Korea, which has been distiling its reactions in dribs and drabs since the start of the unrest in its neighbor, on Monday described Yoon Suk Yeol as a “leader of the rebellion”according to the official KCNA agency. As usual, Mr. Yoon was also called a “puppet” by North Korean state media, which considers him to be under the thumb of the United States.
