South Korea’s Constitutional Court begins review of President Yoon’s impeachment

SEOUL – South Korea’s Constitutional Court on Monday began reviewing the impeachment of President Yoon Suk Yeol over his Dec. 3 martial law proclamation to decide whether he will be removed from office, while investigators plan to question him on criminal charges this week.

The court will hold the first public hearing on Dec. 27, spokesperson Lee Jean told a news conference, after the court’s six justices met to discuss plans for reviewing the impeachment by the opposition-controlled parliament on Saturday.

The court has up to six months to decide whether to remove Yoon from office or to reinstate him. The first hearing will be “preparatory” to confirm major legal issues of the case and the schedule, among other matters, Lee said, adding that the president is not required to be present.

Yoon and a number of senior officials also face potential charges of insurrection for the short-lived martial law.

A joint team from the police, the defence ministry, and an anti-corruption agency are planning to call Yoon in for questioning on Wednesday in connection with the charges, a police official told Reuters.

The presidential security service declined to accept a summons for Yoon to appear saying it was not in the position to do so, Yonhap news said. An anti-corruption agency said the summons was also sent by express registered mail.

Yoon, himself a career prosecutor before becoming president in his first run for elected office, has named a former prosecutor, Kim Hong-il, to lead a team of attorneys in the impeachment review and in criminal investigations, local media reported. Kim could not be immediately reached for comment.

In parallel, the government, led by acting president Han Duck-soo, has continued reassuring international partners and investors, while political parties pledged to cooperate in efforts to stabilise the situation.

Early on Monday, the finance minister, Bank of Korea governor, and top financial regulators met and pledged round-the-clock monitoring of financial and foreign exchange markets.