Constitutional Court speeds up impeachment ruling

By Jung Min-ho

Nine justices of the Constitutional Court are deliberating to set the date for the first encounter between representatives of President Geun-hye and the National Assembly over impeachment.

The court said Monday it will determine this week the date for the first meeting between the representatives for a pre-trial hearing.

This is where the two sides present their plans for the trial hearings.

The two sides will clash over whether Park should retain the post despite her alleged violations of the law and political chaos her actions have created. By the end of the year, the representatives are expected to have two or three more hearings.

The prosecution has concluded that the President committed five Constitutional violations and eight legal offenses, but Cheong Wa Dae has denied them all.

To develop its own view over her alleged crimes, the court last week asked the prosecution and Park Young-soo, the special prosecutor appointed to investigate the case, to share the evidence they have collected, but has not received anything yet.

The Assembly aims to provide the court with its plans on how to prove the President’s alleged crimes by Wednesday. Cheong Wa Dae has already provided a 24-page defense last Friday.

Since the case was brought to the court on Dec. 9, the justices have worked day and night to speed up their deliberations. With the terms for two justices _ Park Han-chul and Lee Jung-mi _ set to end on Jan. 31 and March 14, respectively, they are under great time pressure. The process of appointing their successors could delay the court proceedings significantly as the appointment process will certainly be difficult with the ongoing political tug of war.

Even if the court concludes that she committed constitutional violations or legal offenses, they have to be “grave enough” for impeachment. In 2004, the court rejected the impeachment push against then-President Roh Moo-hyun, saying his legal offenses were not grave.