Impeached South Korean President Yoon meets ruling party leadership day after release from jail
Seoul(The Uttam Hindu): Impeached South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol met with the leadership of the ruling People Power Party (PPP) at his residence after he was released from detention, party officials said on Monday. Rep. Kwon Young-se, head of the PPP's emergency leadership committee, and PPP floor leader Kweon Seong-dong visited Yoon's official residence in central Seoul for about 30 minutes on Sunday evening, according to party spokesperson Shin Dong-wook.
During the meeting, Yoon shared his experience in detention over tea and thanked them for steering the party during his absence, Shin said. In his impeachment trial, the Constitutional Court is expected to decide in the coming days whether to uphold or dismiss, Yonhap news agency reported. Earlier in the day, South Korean Prosecutor General Shim Woo-jung said that his decision not to appeal a court ruling to release impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol was based on "due process of law" and rejected the opposition's calls for his resignation.
Yoon, who was detained in January on charges of inciting an insurrection through his failed bid to impose martial law on December 3, was released from jail Saturday after the prosecution decided not to appeal the previous day's ruling that his detention was invalid. "I followed the principles of the due process of law after gathering various opinions from the investigation team and others," Shim told reporters as he arrived for work at the Supreme Prosecutors Office in southern Seoul.
"I don't think this provides the grounds for (my) resignation or impeachment," he said, adding he would "respond accordingly" should the National Assembly take steps to impeach him. Shim said he respected the court's decision given its authority to decide on matters of a suspect's physical detention following their indictment. He also pointed to the Constitutional Court's former ruling that deemed it unconstitutional to immediately appeal a suspension of the execution of an arrest warrant. Still, Shim said he did not agree with the Seoul Central District Court's calculation of Yoon's 10-day initial detention period in hours, not days, and has directed the investigation team to dispute the point during the actual trial.
