The ruling People Power Party (PPP) and the main opposition party, the Democratic Party (DP), continue to clash over the process to fill three vacancies on South Korea’s Constitutional Court, the body in charge of deciding possible impeachment. from President Yoon Suk Yeol. The controversy, which intensified This Tuesday, has added a new layer of uncertainty to the impeachment trial against the president.
Currently, the Constitutional Court operates with six judges out of the nine it should have, and the South Korean Constitution requires the affirmative vote of at least six judges to ratify the removal of the president. Faced with this situation, the DP has urged filling the vacancies, while the PPP maintains that Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, who acts as acting president after Yoon’s suspension, lacks the authority to appoint new magistrates.
At a PPP meeting on Tuesday, Kweon Seong-dong, parliamentary leader and acting party president, said the temporary suspension of the president does not amount to a formal dismissal and therefore Han does not have the power to make appointments. . “The right to appoint magistrates exists only in the event that the president has been removed, which has not been confirmed,” Kweon argued.
For his part, Joo Jin-woo, another PPP legislator, criticized the DP’s proposals to fill the vacancies, alleging that the candidates have, on previous occasions, shown “biased verdicts” in favor of the opposition.
In contrast, DP parliamentary leader Park Chan-dae called the PPP’s statements “outrageous statements” and stressed that the Constitution clearly establishes the process. According to Park, the president must proceed with the appointments after receiving the recommendations of the National Assembly, considering it a “procedural obligation” that cannot be ignored. The DP has expressed its intention to complete the magistrate selection process before the end of this month.
Preparations and defense of Yoon in court
Meanwhile, Yoon Suk Yeol’s legal team confirmed on Tuesday that the president will appear before the Constitutional Court if a public hearing is held. Seok Dong-hyeon, one of his lawyers, stated that Yoon is determined to refute charges of insurrection related to his brief declaration of martial law on December 3.
“President Yoon will express his position with confidence and according to his own convictions,” Seok said, emphasizing that Yoon denies any legal basis for the insurrection accusations.
The Constitutional Court has a period of 180 days to decide whether to ratify the removal of the president or reinstate him in office. If the impeachment is confirmed, Yoon would be the second president in South Korean history to be removed by impeachment, after Park Geun-hye in 2017, triggering early presidential elections within 60 days of the ruling.
The dispute over vacancies on the court reflects not only the country’s deep political divisions, but also the weight of the ongoing process. While the DP pushes to move forward with the appointments to ensure the necessary quorum, the PPP seeks to block any attempt that could influence the final decision, while maintaining its support for Yoon.
The outcome of this confrontation will not only define the president’s political future, but also the institutional balance of South Korea at a critical moment for its democracy.
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