Constitutional Court dismisses impeachment case against South Korean Prime Minister = Sentence to be handed down to leader of largest opposition party and president awaits; media calls it ”South Korean judicial super week”

On the 24th of this month, the Constitutional Court of South Korea dismissed the impeachment motion against Prime Minister Han Deok-soo, which had been proposed by the opposition party in the National Assembly. Han is the same person who was impeached by President Yoon Seok-yeol in the same National Assembly.
Han was acting as prime minister, but was suspended after his own impeachment bill was passed. Han will return to his duties as prime minister and once again assume the powers of the president.
As a result, the Constitutional Court is expected to hand down its sentence on Yoon as early as this week. Some South Korean media outlets have commented that "This decision will put an end to the impeachment trial of President Yoon Seok-yeol, which will be concluded in the future."
"The ruling is expected to have an impact on the trial," reported Herald Business. Also, on the 26th, the Seoul High Court ruled that the Democratic Party of Korea's Lee Jae-myung, the head of the largest opposition party,
The Korean newspaper Chosun Ilbo described this week as a "Super Week in the Korean Judicial System."
"So, we can expect a lot of political action," he said. In South Korea, Yoon declared "emergency martial law" in December last year. Emergency martial law is a type of martial law stipulated in the South Korean Constitution. It is used in times of war or other emergencies.
In normal times, the president issues orders when necessary for military purposes or to maintain public order. The military takes control of administrative and judicial functions and is authorized to restrict freedom of speech, press, and association.
This was the first time that martial law had been declared since democratization in 1987. Following the declaration, armed martial law soldiers broke the windows and stormed into the National Assembly building. The situation was reminiscent of the military regime era, and the country was
Many citizens gathered before the meeting, shouting slogans against martial law and surrounding military vehicles, causing chaos. However, martial law can only be lifted by the president if a majority of members of the National Assembly request it.
The government had to comply with this, so immediately after the declaration, a plenary session of the National Assembly was held, and all 190 members in attendance voted in favor of lifting the state of emergency. Yoon lifted the state of emergency after just six hours.
Opposition parties including the Democratic Party of Korea have accused Yoon of violating the constitution, saying he "attempted to disrupt the constitutional order and commit an insurrection aimed at permanently seizing power."
The government then submitted a motion to impeach Yoon to the National Assembly. The motion passed, suspending Yoon's presidential powers. Han became acting president.
At the time, Han said he would "devote all his energy and effort to running the country in a stable manner," and assumed the role of acting president.
The opposition party led the impeachment proceedings against Han, alleging that he condoned martial law and refused to appoint vacant judges to the Constitutional Court. The National Assembly passed a motion calling for his impeachment, and Han was suspended from his duties.
This was an unprecedented situation in which the president and prime minister were suspended from their duties in succession, and since then, Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs and Minister of Strategy and Finance Choi Sang-mok has acted as acting president.
The Constitutional Court held the impeachment hearing for Han in February, where he claimed to have opposed martial law. The hearing concluded the same day. On the 24th of this month, the Constitutional Court dismissed the impeachment charges against Han.
Five of the judges were in favor of the motion, one in favor, and two in favor of the motion. In an impeachment trial, six judges must vote in favor to dismiss Yoon.
The court said it could not be determined that Han had violated the constitution and that there was no justification for his removal from office. Han told reporters on the 24th that he was "thankful for the wise decision of the Constitutional Court."
He also delivered a speech to the public, saying, "I will do my utmost to ensure stable national administration in accordance with the Constitution and the law." He also said, "I will work to ensure that major national issues, which naturally require bipartisan cooperation, are handled with stability and speed."
"I will do everything in my power to ensure that the country can move forward in this way," he said, before asking the ruling and opposition parties to cooperate in a bipartisan manner so that South Korea can overcome the current crisis and make a leap forward once again.
Following Han's rejection, the ruling People Power Party held a press conference on the 24th and announced that the Ministry of Justice (Ministry of Justice) would issue a stern warning against the unreasonable legislative acts of the large opposition party, and that the constitutional amendments would be amended.
On the other hand, the opposition party criticized the ruling, saying it "raises doubts about the independence and justice of the judiciary." Democratic Party leader Lee Jae-myung said, "We have no choice but to respect the Constitutional Court's decision.
Han has returned to his duties, but the Constitutional Court is expected to hand down its sentence on Yoon soon, expected sometime this week.
Also, on the 26th, the Seoul High Court is scheduled to hear a ruling on the appeal of the Democratic Party of Korea Chairman Lee Jong Un in a case of violation of the Public Offices Election Act.
It looks like it will be a fateful week for division."