April 25, 2024

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[THE INVESTOR] South Korea’s Constitutional Court on March 10 ruled unanimously to remove President Park Geun-hye from office, the capstone of a sweeping corruption scandal that has engulfed the country for months.    

“Hereby, in a unanimous decision, the court issues the verdict: the court rules to expel President Park Geun-hye,” acting Chief Justice Lee Jung-mi said in a nationally televised ruling on the country’s second presidential impeachment trial. 

With the decision, which is final and unchallengeable, Park has become the nation’s first democratically elected leader to be ousted by impeachment. The nation now must hold a presidential election within 60 days, making it likely to fall on May 9.

In its verdict, the top court said Park had abused her presidential authority to help her longtime confidante Choi Soon-sil, who holds no government post, pursue personal gains. Choi’s meddling in state affairs was extensive throughout Park’s entire time in office, and Park even attempted to conceal her wrongdoings when the scandal laid them bare, the court added. 

“Her violations of the law betrayed the public trust and they are too serious to be tolerated for the sake of protecting the Constitution,” Lee said, adding Park damaged the rule of law and representative democracy.

Park offered no message of concession. Her Liberty Korea Party, however, accepted the court decision and apologized to the public for its failure to assist the president as the ruling party.

One of Park’s lawyers for the impeachment trial called the ruling “biased.”

“Our suspicions about the court’s secret communications with the parliament turned out to be correct,” Seo Seok-gu, one of Park’s lawyers, told reporters. “I don’t think the trial was purely based on law and conscience.”

Violence erupted near the court, as staunch Park supporters protested the ruling. Two died of injuries sustained. The causes are as yet unknown.

The parliament, which served as the prosecution in the impeachment trial, hailed the decision, adding the nation should now stand united.

“I believe that the ruling confirmed the rule of law and people’s sovereignty, which embodies that every person, even the president, is equal before the law. The owner of the country is the people, and all power comes from the people,” said Kwon Seong-dong, the chairman of the parliamentary legislation and judiciary committee.

“Those who held candles or national flags, they are all our people who we should respect and love. There is no victor or loser in this case,” he added.

Park was impeached on a total of 13 charges, which the court had bundled into five categories -- bribery, abuse of authority, Choi’s manipulation of power behind the scenes, failure to protect people’s lives and violation of press freedom.

The court acknowledged Park’s active involvement in leaking government secrets to Choi and assisting friend Choi’s profit-making activities through the public foundations. 

But it did not acknowledge Park’s other charges -- her abuse of authority in sacking officials not in Choi’s favor, her negligence of duty to protect people’s lives during the Sewol ferry disaster and her crackdown on press freedom.

In the hearing that lasted about 20 minutes, acting Chief Justice Lee explained the reasons behind their decision and read out a verdict to confirm Park’s impeachment before some 100 spectators and reporters.

President Park, who did not turn up at any hearings for her impeachment trial, also did not attended the verdict hearing. She reportedly watched the ruling via TV at her residence in the presidential office.

The verdict, effective immediately, permanently throws Park out of office. She had been stripped of executive powers while the court reviews the legitimacy of the impeachment, with Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn serving as the acting president.

The ruling, however, is unlikely to put an end to a monthslong crisis for the country deeply divided on generational and ideological lines in the face of the conservative leader’s impeachment.

While opponents of Park gear up to hold a rally to celebrate the result on March 11, Park’s die-hard supporters are set to pour onto the streets to condemn the Constitutional Court.

Tensions ran high from March 9 evening near the court, as staunch protestors for and against President Park staged rallies in front of the building in last-bid attempts to make their voices heard.

After the verdict was made, thousands of Park’s supporters angrily reacted, shouting, shedding tears and even hitting police officers. Police said two people died while protesting.

Police raised the level of alert to its highest on March 10, dispatching all forces available to mobilize on the nation’s capital. Scores of police buses and some 21,600 officers formed lines to cordon off the court and government offices from mass protests and possible eruptions of violence.

By Ock Hyun-ju/The Korea Herald  (laeticia.ock@heraldcorp.com)