South Korea: Constitutional Court to hold first plenary meeting since receiving Yoon impeachment case
Seoul, Dec 19 (IANS) The South Korea’s Constitutional Court is set to hold the first plenary meeting of its justices on Thursday since receiving the National Assembly’s impeachment case against President Yoon Suk Yeol.
The Council of Justices, which is held regularly and attended by all justices to discuss pending cases, is expected to deal with the details of Yoon’s upcoming trial following the National Assembly’s Saturday vote to impeach him over his short-lived martial law decree on December 3.
The court has sent the necessary papers to Yoon in person and via mail, requiring him to submit a written response within seven days, but their delivery has been delayed due to a lack of cooperation from the Presidential security service.
A court spokesperson told reporters on Wednesday the justices will decide how to proceed in the absence of confirmation that Yoon has received the papers, Yonhap news agency reported.
On December 14, the National Assembly voted to impeach President Yoon Suk Yeol over his botched imposition of martial law, suspending him from his duties until the Constitutional Court decides whether to reinstate him or remove him from office, with citizens cheering over his impeachment.
The impeachment motion against Yoon passed 204-85, with three abstentions and eight invalid ballots, after all 300 members of the Assembly cast their votes.
The motion’s passage came 11 days after Yoon declared martial law in an announcement that caught the nation by surprise and drew outrage, as troops encircled the National Assembly compound in an apparent attempt to stop lawmakers from repealing the decree.
The martial law order, which was lifted within six hours after the Assembly voted it down, has prompted investigations by the police, the prosecution and the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials into whether Yoon staged an insurrection. He is currently banned from leaving the country.
The court has up to 180 days to decide whether to uphold or dismiss Yoon’s impeachment, a decision that will unseat or reinstate him, respectively.
–IANS
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