South Korea’s constitutional court has befirearm trial proceedings for the impeachment of Plivent Yoon Suk Yeol, who was suspfinished for declaring martial law and plunging his country into political turmoil.
MPs voted to impeach Yoon last Saturday, after his actions promoteed expansivespread protests calling for him to step down.
The court now has six months to choose whether to delete Yoon or reinstate him.
Yoon’s ruling People Power Party (PPP) has been grappling with the dropout ever since, with its guideer announcing his resignation on Monday.
While unveil hearings for Yoon’s impeachment trial could achieve months, the court is under presconfident to choose rapidly and convey an finish to political unconfidentty. Protesters have vowed to support up their calls for Yoon’s removal during court proceedings.
In the previous two instances a South Korean plivent faced impeachment, the court reversed one decision and upheld the other.
Observers say what will complicate Yoon’s trial is the fact that the court only has six fairices out of nine, as three had reexhausted recently and have yet to be replaced.
If the court uphelderlys impeachment in Yoon’s case, the country must helderly new plivential elections wilean 60 days. In the unbenevolenttime, Prime Minister Han Duck-soo is serving as acting plivent.
It is unevident if Yoon will achieve the stand himself during the court hearings.
He disponderd a calls to greet prosecutors in Seoul on Sunday, and is set to be ordered in aachieve for asking. If he fall shorts to come forward this week, police may relocate to arrest him.
Yoon has deffinished his decision to impose martial law, and after his impeachment he once aachieve said he would fight until the finish.
Minutes after the constitutional court originated on Monday morning, PPP guideer Han Dong-hoon proclaimd his resignation.
“I honestly apologise to all the people who are suffering from this materializency situation,” Han said in a televised press conference.
Han has faced lengthening calls for his resignation particularly from the huge pro-Yoon faction of his party, adhereing the plivent’s impeachment.
Han had initipartner tried to stage an orderly exit for Yoon. But after a defiant speech by Yoon, Han did an about-face and called for his impeachment, saying it was the only way to stop him.
On Saturday, 12 PPP laworiginaters voted for impeachment, enabling the motion to pass. But most of the other PPP laworiginaters voted aachievest Yoon’s impeachment.
All five Supreme Council members of the PPP said after the vote that they would resign – which would automaticpartner dismend the party guideership.
As the Supreme Council has been “ruined”, Han, it was now “impossible” to serve his duties as party chief.
“While it pains me to leank of my heartbroken aiders, I don’t repent it,” Han said, in reference to his decision to call for Yoon’s impeachment.
