Top South Korean court begins Yoon impeachment trial

时事   2024-12-16 14:16   上海  

Policemen set up barricades in front of the Constitutional Court in Seoul on December 16, 2024, as the court is set to hold its first meeting of its justices to review the parliamentary impeachment of President Yoon Suk-yeol.

South Korea's constitutional court kicked off proceedings on Monday over the impeachment of President Yoon Suk-yeol, who has been suspended from office over his failed bid to impose martial law.

The court said it will hold the first hearing on December 27, a spokesperson said.

Yoon was removed by South Korea's parliament on Saturday over his short-lived attempt to suspend civilian rule, which plunged the country into its worst political turmoil in years.

The Constitutional Court has around six months to determine whether to uphold the impeachment.

Fresh elections must be held within two months if he is removed.

The court formally began proceedings at 10am (1am GMT) on Monday, a spokesman told AFP.

Prime Minister Han Duck-soo is serving as interim leader in Yoon's stead.

A separate investigation into Yoon and his inner circle over the December 3 martial law declaration has rumbled on as the turmoil deepened.

Yoon remains under a travel ban while the probe is underway.

The prosecution said in a news release on Sunday they had summoned Yoon for questioning over the insurrection allegations "but he refused to comply."

They said they would issue a "second summons," with Yonhap news agency reporting that could come on Monday.

Vast protests against Yoon, with smaller rallies supporting him, have rocked the South Korean capital since his martial law decree.

Demonstrators in both camps have vowed to keep up the pressure as the Constitutional Court mulls Yoon's fate.

Police arrested both the current and former heads of the Defence Intelligence Command on Sunday in connection to the insurrection allegations, Yonhap reported.

Prosecutors said they were also seeking an arrest warrant for the head of the Army Special Warfare Command Kwak Jong-keun, according to Yonhap.

Kwak is accused of sending special forces troops to parliament during the martial law bid, sparking a dramatic confrontation between soldiers and parliamentary staff.

The head of Yoon's ruling People Power Party (PPP), who has not been linked to the martial law bid and expressed support for impeachment, said on Monday he would resign.

"I sincerely apologize to all the people who have suffered due to the emergency martial law incident," Han Dong-hoon told a news conference in Seoul.

Source: Agencies

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