A battle is erupting in South Korea over the appointments of court justices that will determine the fate of impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol. The country’s acting leader, Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, has vowed to reassure international partners and stabilize markets following parliament’s impeachment of Yoon last Saturday.
However, rival parties are squabbling over whether to fill three vacant seats at the Constitutional Court, which is tasked with determining whether Yoon can stay in office. The court needs support from at least six justices to formally end Yoon’s presidency, but the current configuration is favorable to Yoon’s chances of returning to office.
The Democratic Party, which led the impeachment efforts against Yoon, has said it will speed up the process of restoring the court to its full capacity. However, some argue that this would be inappropriate for Han, the acting leader, to appoint justices nominated by parliament.
Yoon faces allegations of rebellion and abuse of power over his martial law introduction, which has sparked massive street protests calling for his ouster. His approval rating has plummeted, and supporters worry that his early exit could severely hamper conservatives and cause them to likely lose a presidential by-election to liberals.
The court’s current six-member configuration is advantageous for Yoon’s chances of return to office, as it would only require a single justice rejecting the parliament’s impeachment. The ruling People Power Party has nominated one of the three vacant seats, while the Democratic Party has nominated two others.
Time is a crucial issue for President Lee Jae-myung, who is favored by polls to win a presidential election in the event of Yoon’s ouster. However, he grapples with his own legal troubles and may be prohibited from running for president if the appellate and Supreme courts uphold his lower court conviction for election law violation.
The dispute over court appointments exposes deep divisions in South Korea’s politics, with the ruling party trying to drag out the impeachment trial at the Constitutional Court.
Source: https://apnews.com/article/south-korea-martial-law-yoon-constitutional-court-2917db5da7c461ef3eb732e17f938114