ED For speedy trial

Park must comply with Constitutional Court’s requests

President Park Geun-hye, who was impeached by the National Assembly on Dec. 9, has already caused immeasurable harm to the nation with the massive corruption scandal involving herself and her longtime friend Choi Soon-sil. Park’s impeachment has resulted in a prolonged leadership void at a time of grave challenges for Korea’s economy and security. State affairs have been on hold and Korea’s reputation has been tarnished in the global community because of the presidential scandal.

The only way for Park help the nation get back on track now is to wholeheartedly do her part to speed up the Constitutional Court’s decision on the impeachment and cooperate with the ongoing special investigation by an independent counsel.

All eyes are now on the Constitutional Court’s proceedings to determine the President’s fate and the independent counsel probe since earlier investigations by the state prosecutors and by a parliamentary special committee did little to uncover the truth about the wide-ranging allegations against the President. The questioning sessions of the National Assembly were particularly futile, as lawmakers failed to ask the essential questions and focused more on going after sensational accusations about Park’s personal life, such as her medical history. Also, some key witnesses like Choi did not even show up to the hearings.

The President’s attitude since the scandal has fueled public rage. She did not honor her previous pledge to cooperate with the investigative authorities and refused to be questioned by state prosecutors in an earlier investigation. Park has denied all of the Assembly’s accusations regarding her violations of the law and the Constitution in the impeachment motion. The President even called the impeachment process flawed, but her claim has lost grounds since the Ministry of Justice said that the impeachment process met all legal requirements when submitting its views to the Constitutional Court, Dec. 23.

To expedite the deliberation process, which could last up to six months, the top court proposed that the 13 charges cited in the Assembly’s impeachment motion be rearranged into given categories. A conclusion on whether to reinstate the President or officially terminate her presidency should be reached as soon as possible to minimize damage to state affairs.

For this, Park’s cooperation is crucial. The Constitutional Court, which held its first preparatory hearing last week, requested Park’s legal team to provide more details about the President’s whereabouts on the day of the sinking of the ferry Sewol. She has been accused of dereliction of duty because her administration failed to react appropriately to the maritime accident that took more than 300 lives. Park has never clearly explained what she was doing during the first seven hours of the disaster on April 16, 2014. So far, we only know that she was getting her hair done and being briefed through written documents before appearing at an emergency meeting after 5:00 p.m. and that key aides did not know where she was. Since it is one of the biggest flaws of her presidency, Park should be clear about exactly what she was doing that day and what directions she gave to the relevant ministries.

If she has nothing to hide and wants to prove her innocence, Park should also appear at the court to testify before the public. In a response to the impeachment charges submitted to the Constitutional Court, Park’s legal team complained that the President was not given a chance to explain herself. That is totally untrue since she could have done so by complying with the prosecution’s request for questioning or providing more details in a press conference. She was the one who refused to explain herself publicly. The Court should definitely request Park to attend the trial. This is essential in responding to the people’s call for the truth.