In South Korea, after the dismissal of President Yoon Suk-yeol on December 14, uncertainty reigns over the future of his party, which fell into disgrace after the former head of state’s attempt to impose martial law in the country. This Monday, its president Han Dong-hoon resigned as head of the party, specifying that support for martial law is contrary to the party’s values.
3 mins
So it’s a party in tatters. The defection of twelve deputies from the ruling party to the opposition swung Saturday’s vote in favor of impeachment. But 85 elected officials sided with the head of state despite his attempted military coup, recalls our correspondent in Seoul, Celio Fioretti. Since this division, the party has been a shadow of its former self.
In addition to the party president, other executives of the political party have also announced their intention to leave their leadership positions. The Supreme Court began meeting this Monday to judge the impeached president.
180 days to validate the dismissal of the ex-president
The President of the Court promises a “ quick and fair procedure » but things are not that simple, believes Christophe Gaudin, lecturer in political science at Kookmin University in Seoul.
“ The Constitution says that judges have 180 days to validate the impeachment vote, but the problem is that this Supreme Court is made up of nine judges. Normally, a quorum of seven is required and here, there are only six. There are six of them precisely because of the legislative blockage which has lasted for several months and which took place at the time when several judges retired. »
The lecturer in political science at Kookmin University believes that the whole procedure will be done day by day, “ but also under pressure from the streets because the demonstrations continue despite the freezing cold in Seoul and people do not let their guard down “.
Is Yoon Suk-yeol facing prison?
The opposition leader on Sunday called on the Constitutional Court to quickly seal the fate of ousted President Yoon Suk-yeol, so that the country can recover from the ” national unrest » and the “ absurd situation » created by the surprise imposition of martial law on December 3.
Accused of “rebellion”, Yoon Suk-yeol could be sentenced to prison, estimates Christophe Gaudin: “ All the presidents of this populist right party, after their mandate, ended up in prison. There were five of them and they all ended up in prison, either for stories of corruption, or for stories of conspiracy at the top of the State. So it is absolutely not unthinkable to see him sentenced to prison. This is even the most likely thing, since it is already forbidden to leave the country. »
In South Korea, Korean law provides for the death penalty for crimes of rebellion. But in reality, the death penalty has not been applied since 1997 and it will not be. “ At the same time, as much as all these populist right presidents ended up in prison, they got out quite quickly », concludes Christophe Gaudin.
If the courts confirm Yoon Suk-yeol’s dismissal, a new presidential election would be called. The ruling party does not really know if it will be in working order for the next presidential election, while the opposition is already organizing for the vote where it enjoys a head start against the disunited presidential party.
Also readImpeachment of Yoon Suk-yeol: South Korea enters a period of uncertainty