South Korea: Constitutional Court upholds Yoon’s impeachment, removes him from office

Posted on by Vividh Bharathi

Seoul, April 4 (IANS) The Constitutional Court unanimously upheld the impeachment of President Yoon Suk Yeol on Friday, removing him from office over his short-lived imposition of martial law in December.

The verdict, which was read by acting court chief Moon Hyung-bae and televised live, took effect immediately, requiring the country to hold a snap presidential election to pick Yoon’s successor within 60 days, which many expect to fall on June 3, Yonhap news agency reported.

Yoon was impeached by the opposition-controlled National Assembly in mid-December on charges of violating the Constitution and laws by declaring martial law on December 3, deploying troops to the National Assembly to stop lawmakers from voting down the decree and ordering the arrest of politicians.

“The negative effects on the constitutional order and the repercussions from the defendant’s violations of the law are grave, making the benefits of protecting the Constitution by dismissing the defendant larger than the national losses from dismissing the president by an overwhelming degree,” Moon said.

The court recognised effectively all of the charges against Yoon, including that he did not meet the legal requirements for declaring martial law and sent troops to the Assembly to stop its reversal of the decree.

The ruling People Power Party said it “humbly accepts” the court’s ruling, while the main opposition Democratic Party welcomed it as a “people’s victory.”

Earlier the National Assembly Secretariat has completely restricted access to outsiders from Thursday to Sunday.

All scheduled seminars and events hosted by lawmakers during this period have been canceled.

“We have restricted access to outsiders and significantly reinforced our police and security as a precaution against any possible situation,” an official from the National Assembly Speaker’s office told Yonhap.

–IANS

int/rs

Related Posts

South Korea calls for all-out response to US announcement of 25 pc tariffs

Seoul, April 3 (IANS) Acting President Han Duck-soo instructed the government on Thursday to go all-out to respond to the United States’ announcement of 25 percent tariffs on imports from South Korea.

Han gave the instruction during an “emergency meeting” of the economic and security strategy task force, which brought together Finance Minister Choi Sang-mok, Industry Minister Ahn Duk-geun and other senior officials from the government, reports Yonhap news agency.

“As the situation is very grave with the approach of the reality of a global tariff war, the government must pour out all of its capabilities at its disposal to overcome this trade crisis,” he said, shortly after U.S. President Donald Trump announced tariff rates for all U.S. trading partners, including 25 per cent for South Korea, starting next Wednesday.

Han gave instructions to Ahn to carefully analyse the details and impacts of the new tariffs together with businesses and actively engage in negotiations with the U.S. to minimize damage to the country.

He also ordered the government to swiftly draw up emergency support measures for companies and sectors affected by the tariffs, including the auto industry.

Later in the day, Han instructed Trade Minister Cheong In-kyo to promptly arrange a visit the U.S. as he presided over another task force meeting to respond to U.S. reciprocal tariffs.

“In the crisis situation, the government will make all-out efforts for negotiations with the U.S. to minimize losses to businesses,” he said, noting the tariffs could become a “big burden” for South Korea’s export-reliant economy.

Han also said the government will announce emergency response measures by next week in response to tariffs that took effect on the auto industry earlier in the day.

Under the US scheme, reciprocal tariffs for South Korea have been set at a lower range than China, Vietnam and Taiwan, which will face 34 percent, 46 percent and 32 percent duties, respectively, but at a higher range than the respective 24 percent, 20 percent and 10 percent for Japan, the European Union and Britain.

–IANS

na/

Standoff between Shiv Sena UBT & Congress over LoP post

Mumbai, March 3 (IANS) Shiv Sena UBT and Congress are pitted against each other following their claims on the post of Leader of the Opposition (LoP) in the Maharashtra Assembly and the council.

After Shiv Sena UBT, with 20 legislators, has staked claim for the LoP post in the legislative assembly, the Congress legislator Nana Patole took a serious objection, saying that with Sena UBT having numbers in the lower house, hence there is no issue in giving the opposition leader post to Sena UBT. However, in council, Congress has more numbers, hence the Leader of Opposition post in the upper house should be with Congress.

“In the state assembly, the Sena UBT is a big party (with the largest members in the MVA) so they should announce their candidate’s name for the Leader of Opposition. As per the tradition of functioning of legislature, the party which has the largest MLAs gets the leader of opposition post. So its obvious that in the lower house, they (Sena UBT) have the maximum number of MLAs, so it will be their leader of opposition, in the council however we have the majority of members in opposition so there would be our leader of LoP there is nothing more in it,” said Patole.

The standoff between Shiv Sena UBT and Congress comes amid the uncertainty over whether the post will be given to opposition parties by the Assembly Speaker as all the three Opposition parties Shiv Sena UBT, Congress and NCP SP together have 46 legislators in the 288-member Legislative Assembly.

The ruling MahaYuti has asserted that a party should have at least 10 per cent of the total strength in the state assembly to qualify for the post. The Maharashtra Assembly has 288 MLAs — 10 per cent of the total strength works to 28.8 (29). None of the Opposition parties alone have 29 MLAs at present.

The MahaYuti has argued that since none of the opposition parties have managed to win 10 per cent MLAs of the total strength of the house, the LoP cannot be appointed.

However, the MVA leaders have claimed that there is no mention in the legislative rules that the mandatory 10 per cent member condition.

“There is no such rule (of strength), in many states even parties with four or five members have got the post of Leader of the Opposition to maintain the spirit of democracy. Here, our combined total is over 50. Therefore, it is not difficult to become the opposition leader of Shiv Sena,” Sena UBT MP Sanjay Raut said, adding that the Sena UBT majority of MLAs in the Assembly and hence the LoP would be from Shiv Sena UBT.

–IANS

sj/dan

Pariksha Pe Charcha energised students, Madhya Pradesh participants applaud PM Modi

Bhopal, Feb 10 (IANS) Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav on Monday said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s interaction with students through Pariksha Pe Charcha has infused them with new energy and confidence. More than 18 lakh students and teachers across Madhya Pradesh watched the live broadcast of the event in their schools, according to the state education department.

“PM Modi’s interaction with students through Pariksha Pe Charcha has filled them with motivation and a positive outlook,” Yadav said.

Students of classes 10 and 12, who attended the eighth edition of the programme, praised the Prime Minister for his guidance.

Rohan Rajput, a Class 12 student, said, “After watching PM Modi’s programme, I feel energized. His advice on time management was particularly inspiring — not just for exams but for life in general.”

Another student from Bhopal, Shubham Patel, said the Prime Minister’s insights on stress-free exam preparation were invaluable. “It felt like PM Modi was speaking directly to me. His words on staying calm and focused will help me a lot,” said Patel, who is preparing for his Class 12 board exams.

Anjali Bhargava, principal of a government higher secondary school in Bhopal, highlighted that the programme was meaningful not just for students but also for teachers and parents. “PM Modi emphasised that teachers should identify and nurture each student’s unique talent. If a child excels in sports or dancing, they should be encouraged to pursue their passion. This is an important message for parents as well,” she said.

Madhya Pradesh School Education Minister Uday Pratap Singh, who watched Pariksha Pe Charcha at a government school in Bhopal, said the Prime Minister’s words would greatly benefit students. “It felt like a head of the family guiding his children. His approach made a lasting impact,” he said.

During the session, PM Modi interacted with students on various topics, including nutrition, handling pressure, and leadership. He emphasised that gyan (knowledge) and examinations are separate things and that students should not view exams as the ultimate test of life.

Encouraging students to explore their interests freely, PM Modi stressed the importance of time management, positive thinking, and healthy habits. He also urged parents to support their children without comparing them to others. “Children should not be treated as models to showcase. Let them grow in their own way,” he said.

The Prime Minister concluded by highlighting the importance of good sleep and reassured students that their future is not solely dependent on exam scores.

–IANS

pd/skp