South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol dodged requests by investigators to appear for questioning over his short-lived martial law decree, as the Constitutional Court began its first meeting on Monday to determine his fate.
A joint investigative team involving police, an anti-corruption agency, and the Defense Ministry wants to question Yoon on charges of rebellion and abuse of power. However, they were refused by officials at Yoon’s office or residence, citing uncertainty about whether conveying the request was part of their duties.
Yoon was impeached by the opposition-controlled National Assembly on Saturday over his Dec. 3 martial law decree, which has suspended his presidential powers. The Constitutional Court will determine whether to formally remove him from office or reinstate him.
Hundreds of thousands of protesters have poured onto the streets in recent days, calling for Yoon’s ouster and arrest. Yoon has justified his actions as necessary governance against the main liberal opposition Democratic Party, which he described as “anti-state forces”.
A ruling by the court is expected soon, with observers predicting a decision could come faster than 180 days. The Constitutional Court will make a swift and fair decision, according to one of its justices.
Upholding Yoon’s impeachment needs support from at least six out of nine justices, but three seats are vacant now. This means a unanimous ruling by the court’s current six justices in favor of Yoon’s impeachment is required to formally end his presidency.
The opposition Democratic Party leader Lee Jae-myung has urged the Constitutional Court to rule swiftly on Yoon’s impeachment and proposed a special council for policy cooperation between the government and parliament. However, Yoon’s conservative People Power Party criticized this proposal, saying it’s not right for the opposition party to act like the ruling party.
Source: https://apnews.com/article/south-korea-yoon-martial-law-investigation-constitutional-court-8ec38d61f0ea5c48b3bd1f683b5e9c8d