As Yoon Suk-yeol’s impeachment trial ends in South Korea, will embattled president prevail?
Observers predict unanimous 8-0 decision, say it is ‘highly unlikely’ Yoon will be able to return to office given ‘ample evidence’ his actions violated the constitution
South Korea’s Constitutional Court held its final hearing on President Yoon Suk-yeol’s potential impeachment on Tuesday, with analysts predicting a unanimous decision to remove him from office.
The ruling is expected to be delivered in mid-March, two weeks after the final hearing, which would be similar to the timeline followed when former president Park Geun-hye was impeached over corruption in late 2016.
In his 77-page final speech in court, Yoon insisted the December 3 martial law declaration was designed to “alert the people to the existential crisis the country is now facing” and urge them to join him in overcoming it.
“North Korea and other outside forces join hands with anti-state forces within this society and seriously threaten national security,” he said.
Yoon also argued the opposition-dominated National Assembly was abusing its power to impeach government officials, pro-North Korean forces were seeking to overturn the government and China was allegedly interfering with South Korea’s elections.
Plaintiffs from the National Assembly countered that Yoon undermined the constitutional order by issuing an illegal martial law decree “to pave the way for dictatorship”, drawing parallels to past authoritarian rulers, including the military dictator Chun Doo-hwan, who was responsible for the 1980 Gwangju massacre.
“The accused has brutally trampled upon the democratic constitutional order which was achieved through people’s blood and sweat,” said Lee Kwang-beom, a lawyer for the National Assembly’s impeachment team.