The South Korean opposition calls on the Constitutional Court to quickly determine the president’s fate

South Korea’s opposition leader called on the Constitutional Court on Sunday to decide the fate of ousted President Yoon Suk-yul quickly so that the country can recover from the “national turmoil” and “absurd situation” resulting from the sudden imposition of martial law on December 3.
The Constitutional Court has six months to ratify Yoon’s dismissal or not, after Parliament voted to dismiss him on Saturday. If the court approves, presidential elections will be held within two months.
“The Constitutional Court must quickly consider impeachment proceedings,” Lee Jae-myung, head of the Democratic Party (the main opposition force), said on Sunday.
“This is the only way to reduce national unrest and alleviate the suffering of the people,” he added.
Constitutional Court President Moon Hyung-bae pledged on Saturday evening that the procedure would be “quick and fair.” Also, the rest of the judges called for the first meeting to discuss this issue on Monday.
Many experts believe that the outcome is almost guaranteed, given the blatant violations of the constitution and the law with which Yoon is accused.

Hyung Joong, a researcher at the Korea University Law Institute, told AFP that it was clear that Yoon “tried to paralyze the functions of the state,” adding that “even the most conservative academics admitted that this caused a crisis in the constitutional system.”

The opposition leader also called for an in-depth investigation into the events that took place on the night of December 3-4, when Yoon suddenly announced the imposition of martial law and sent the army to Parliament to try to prevent it from meeting, before retreating under pressure from representatives and demonstrators.
Lee Jae-myung, who narrowly lost to Yoon in the 2022 presidential election, said, “In order to hold those responsible for this absurd situation accountable and prevent it from happening again, it is necessary to reveal the truth and demand accountability.”

Yoon Yuk Sol faces a criminal investigation on charges of “rebellion,” a crime theoretically punishable by death, while he has been banned from leaving the country, and the former Defense Minister and several other officials have been arrested.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Han Dak Su, who is temporarily holding the presidency, held telephone conversations with US President Joe Biden on Saturday evening.