Constitutional Court to rule on impeachment against interior minister over Itaewon tragedy

Interior Minister Lee Sang-min, center, who was impeached by the parliament, attends the initial hearing on his impeachment that has suspended his duties at the Constitutional Court in Seoul, May 9. Korea Times file

The Constitutional Court plans to rule this week on whether to endorse or reject the National Assembly's impeachment of Interior Minister Lee Sang-min over last year's deadly Itaewon crowd crush.

The court will deliver its decision on Tuesday, more than five months after Lee was impeached on Feb. 8 for mishandling the crowd crush that left 159 people killed in Seoul's popular nightlife district of Itaewon on Oct. 29 last year.

Upon the impeachment, Lee was suspended from duties as minister.

Should the court endorse the impeachment, Lee will be removed from office, but he will be reinstated if the court rejects the impeachment. (Yonhap)