The South Korean political crisis is getting worse every day. Summoned on Wednesday, December 25 by the Corruption Investigation Office of Senior Personalities (CIO) in Gwacheon, in the suburbs of Seoul, the deposed South Korean president Yoon Suk Yeol once again refused to appear there. He had to explain to investigators about his failed attempt to impose martial law on December 3. Yoon Chuk Yeol resists This is the second time that Yoon Chuk Yeol, himself a former prosecutor, has refused to obey the summons. to subpoena investigators. He had snubbed a first summons on December 18. In both cases, the summons letters were returned to the sender after being refused. The IOC now has the choice between sending a third summons to the former president or having him appear by force, by requesting a warrant to bring him to a court. Dismissed on December 14 by the deputies of the opposition and the majority , he is currently suspended while waiting for the Constitutional Court to validate or not the decision of parliament, and is prohibited from leaving the country. He is the target of an investigation for “rebellion”, a crime punishable by death, for having imposed martial law on December 3 and sending the army to Parliament to try to muzzle him, before backing down a few hours later. late under pressure from deputies and the street.The Constitutional Court deliberatesAccording to South Korean media, the Constitutional Court will hold a first hearing on his case on Friday, December 27. The Court has six months to confirm or overturn the president’s impeachment. If it opts for the first solution, a presidential election will have to take place within two months.Ongoing investigationsTo add a little more instability to the current political crisis, the main opposition party in South Korea announced the day before Christmas plans to have Parliament impeach Prime Minister and Acting President Han Duck-soo for his refusal to enact two laws aimed at investigating ousted President Yoon Suk Yeol. They plan to create special independent commissions of inquiry, one into the failed attempt to impose martial law and muzzle Parliament by sending in the army on December 3, and the other into accusations of corruption against his wife, Kim Keon Hee. The South Korean Constitution provides that the National Assembly can remove the president by a two-thirds majority vote, and the prime minister and other members of the government, by a simple majority. The opposition, which has 192 seats out of 300 in the Assembly, says it only needs a simple majority to depose Han Duck-soo since he is only prime minister. The ruling People Power Party (PPP) instead argues that a two-thirds majority is necessary, since Han is interim president.
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