South Korean Court rules quorum in impeachment motion of acting President Han valid
Seoul(The Uttam Hindu): The South Korean Constitutional Court on Thursday upheld the validity of the National Assembly's impeachment motion against acting President Han Duck-soo, ruling that the use of a quorum standard applicable to Cabinet ministers, rather than the president, did not violate the Constitution. In a 6-2 decision, the court dismissed a competence dispute filed by 108 lawmakers from the People Power Party (PPP) against National Assembly Speaker Woo Won-shik. The ruling came just weeks after the same court reinstated Han to office.
The parliament voted 192-0 to impeach Han, who was serving as both prime minister and acting president following the suspension of then President Yoon Suk Yeol from office over the short-lived imposition of martial law on December 3, Yonhap news agency reported. The motion was introduced after Han refused to appoint additional justices to the Constitutional Court to deliberate Yoon's impeachment trial. PPP lawmakers boycotted the vote in protest, arguing that the speaker wrongly applied a quorum of a simple majority -- typically used for Cabinet ministers -- instead of the two-thirds majority of 200 votes required for presidential impeachments.
In response, the PPP lawmakers filed the suit, claiming that their rights to deliberate and vote were infringed upon. However, the court dismissed their claim, ruling that the speaker's decision did not violate the Constitution or other laws. It also noted that the PPP lawmakers had voluntarily opted out of the vote and therefore they were not in a position to claim their rights were violated. Meanwhile, Yoon Suk Yeol is set to leave the presidential residence on Friday to return to his private residence in southern Seoul, officials said Thursday, following his removal from office last week.
"Yoon plans to leave the official residence at 5 pm Friday move to his private residence," a senior presidential official said in a press notice. The Presidential Security Service (PSS) has reportedly completed organising a private residence security team of about 40 people for Yoon. Under the current law, Yoon can receive protection from the PSS for up to 10 years. Yoon's private residence is located at the Acrovista apartment complex in Seocho-dong, southern Seoul, and he previously stayed there for six months even after his presidential inauguration in May 2022.
Yoon and his wife, Kim Keon Hee, are reportedly considering moving to another private residence in the capital area later because they own as many as 11 pet dogs and cats and the presence of security guards may cause some inconveniences for neighbours.
