Korea

South Korean court holds first hearing on President Yoon’s impeachment

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South Korea’s Constitutional Court on Friday held the first preparatory hearing of a trial on the validity of President Yoon Suk Yeol’s impeachment by parliament over his short-lived imposition of martial law. Yoon’s lawyers Bae Bo-yoon, Yun Gap-geun and Bae Jin-han appeared before the top court, according to the Seoul-based Yonhap News. The court will again hear the two sides on Jan. 3. Lawmakers voted to impeach Yoon, 63, on Dec. 14 over his failed bid to impose martial law in the country. He faces treason and insurrection among other charges. Representatives from the parliament also appeared before the court and sought the appearance of 15 witnesses in the case. The lawmakers are represented by former Constitutional Court Justice Kim Yi-su and former National Human Rights Commission Chairman Song Doo-hwan. Justices Lee Mi-son and Cheong Hyung-sik presided over the hearing. Shocking the nation with the announcement of martial law on Dec. 3, Yoon was forced to rescind the order within six hours after parliament passed a motion against it that night. The top court has six months, since Dec. 14, to decide whether to uphold or dismiss the impeachment, while Prime Minister Han Duck-soo officiates as president since Yoon remains suspended from his duties.

 Ahead of the first hearing by the top court, Yoon had refused to entertain notices from the Constitutional Court. But the court had said it will proceed with its trial beginning today. Yoon was impeached in a second parliamentary vote held on Dec. 14 when at least 12 lawmakers from his People Power Party joined the opposition bloc of 192 parliamentarians, led by the Democratic Party, to suspend the president. In the 300-seat parliament, at least 200 lawmakers should vote to suspend a sitting South Korean president. If the top court upholds the impeachment motion, Yoon will be removed from office and a fresh presidential election is due within two months from that date. Police were also searching the office of the Presidential Security Service for CCTV footage of the compound. Police were searching the place where Yoon allegedly met with senior police officials to discuss martial law plans. Separately, parliament is set to hold a separate vote to impeach Han, the acting president, after he refused to appoint three Constitutional Court judges. This will be the first time in South Korea’s history that a vote to impeach the acting president will be held.

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Bird flu cases in South Korea rise to 14

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 South Korea has reported a fresh case of bird flu near capital Seoul, authorities said, taking the total number of cases to 14 in the country. According to the Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs Ministry, the highly pathogenic bird flu for the season was detected at a poultry farm in the Hwaseong area of the country’s most populous Gyeonggi province. The farm, which is raising 202 chickens and 67 wild geese, reported the case on Sunday, according to the Korea Joongang Daily. Authorities have asked the farm owner to cull the affected chickens and wild geese.

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South Korean opposition parties file impeachment motion against President Yoon

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The South Korean opposition parties Wednesday filed an impeachment motion against President Yoon Suk Yeol amid ongoing political crisis in the country. Six opposition parties submitted the impeachment bill against Yoon to the National Assembly, Yonhap News reported. The move comes after Yoon, in an aborted move, tried to impose martial law on the country. Yoon’s decision was voted down by majority of lawmakers, forcing the president and his Cabinet to lift the martial law within six hours. An opposition lawmaker said the impeachment vote against Yoon could be held as early as Friday or Saturday. Earlier, the main opposition Democratic Party said it will file treason charges against Yoon, as well as his defense and interior ministers, and impeach them. Democratic Party has majority in the parliament, holding 170 seats in the 300-member National Assembly. However, they need 22 votes from minor opposition parties and eight from the ruling People Power Party to remove a sitting president. If Yoon is impeached, he will be suspended from his duties until the Constitutional Court decides whether to restore him or remove him from office. Meanwhile, all military and police personnel were “fully” banned from entering the parliament building. “The National Assembly Secretariat has implemented a full ban on entry to the National Assembly building for personnel from the Ministry of National Defense, military forces, and the National Assembly Guard, including police officers, who unlawfully entered the premises,” Korea JoongAng Daily quoted Kim Min-ki, secretary-general of the National Assembly, as saying. The development came after around 280 troops entered the parliament last night after President Yoon declared martial law.

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 North Korea fires ballistic missiles into Sea of Japan

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North Korea fired several ballistic missiles Thursday, which are believed to have landed outside Japan’s Exclusive Economic Zone in the Sea of Japan, with no damage reported to aircraft or vessels, according to the Japanese government. The Defense Ministry said the missiles were launched from North Korea’s west coast between 7.10 a.m. and 7.14 a.m. (2210GMT and 2214GMT Wednesday), with at least two reaching over 350 kilometers (217.5 miles) and a maximum altitude of about 100 kilometers (62 miles) before falling off the Korean Peninsula’s east coast, Kyodo News reported. Tokyo has lodged a strong protest with Pyongyang over the missile tests, the first since July 1. Japanese Defense Minister Minoru Kihara criticized the launches as a “clear violation of UN Security Council resolutions” and deemed them “totally unacceptable.” The South Korean military confirmed that North Korea launched short-range ballistic missiles from near Pyongyang toward the Sea of Japan, traveling approximately 360 kilometers (223 miles). Senior officials from Japan, the US and South Korea condemned the launches and reaffirmed their trilateral cooperation during phone calls, the Japanese Foreign Ministry reported. The launches followed North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s pledge on Monday to significantly increase the country’s nuclear arsenal, according to state media. The missiles were fired just before the start of official campaigning for Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party leadership election to choose a successor to Prime Minister Fumio Kishida.

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