Justice minister reinstated
Park's impeachment was dismissed in an 8-0 decision by the eight-member bench of the Constitutional Court. The verdict came 119 days after the impeachment motion was submitted to the court by the National Assembly.
The court announced there was no evidence or objective material to back the Assembly's accusation that Park aided Yoon's martial law imposition.
It also stated that a gathering that took place at the presidential safe house after martial law was lifted cannot be judged as Park being involved in discussing legal measures and follow-up strategies related to the insurrection.
The National Assembly previously suspended the justice minister for not opposing Yoon's martial law declaration during a Cabinet meeting that was convened on the night of Dec. 3. He was accused of allegedly planning follow-up measures for the martial law decree with former Interior Minister Lee Sang-min at a presidential safe house the following day, including the establishment of detention facilities to hold lawmakers when martial law was declared.
In the first formal hearing of his impeachment trial on March 18, Park denied allegations linking him to the declaration of martial law, claiming he had actually urged the president not to proceed with the imposition. He said the gathering at the safe house was simply a meeting with acquaintances and insisted that martial law-related measures were never discussed.
The Assembly also argued that Park — who oversees the prosecution service — refused its request to submit detailed records on the prosecution's use of special activity funds, asserting that the minister's refusal constituted a violation of the Act on Testimony and Appraisal Before the National Assembly.
Another charge behind Park's impeachment was his abrupt departure from a parliamentary plenary session in December 2024, during which lawmakers were deliberating a bill to appoint a special prosecutor to investigate multiple scandals involving former first lady Kim Keon Hee.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Korea Herald
10 hours ago
- Korea Herald
Partisan feuds intensify ahead of contentious bills
- PPP's absence at Lee's inauguration Friday exposes persisting political division - Controversy over presidential pardon for high-profile liberal politicians drags on - DP-sponsored special counsel investigation into PPP sparks resistance South Korea's parliament is expected to vote for contentious bills later this week at the National Assembly's plenary session, which may add to escalating bipartisan strife over a recent presidential pardon and a probe targeting the main opposition party. This is the latest of several recent events contributing to Korea's political polarization, which has continued to deepen in the wake of former President Yoon Suk Yeol's botched martial law imposition in December 2024. The divide was especially noticeable when main opposition People Power Party figures did not attend President Lee Jae Myung's official inauguration ceremony Friday. The party has lambasted the presidential pardon of convicted liberal politicians, effective the same day, as well as the bills to be voted on this week. From as early as Thursday, the National Assembly is poised to process contentious bills put to the vote in the parliamentary session that terminated on Aug. 6. Earlier in August, the People Power Party hinted at filibustering five bills sponsored by the ruling Democratic Party of Korea. These included three bills to weaken an administration's power to organize the boardrooms of KBS, MBC and EBS, respectively; the so-called "Yellow Envelope" bill, which would ban companies from claiming damages incurred by labor unions' strikes; and a Commercial Act revision to enhance minority shareholders' rights to elect a corporate board director. Before Aug. 6, only one of the five, regarding boardroom organization of KBS, passed the parliament, and no plenary session has taken place since. The liberal-leaning parties at the National Assembly have enough seats, if combined, to end a filibuster 24 hours after initiated, meaning a filibuster provides little bargaining power to the People Power Party, which has only 107 lawmakers at the 298-member parliament. People Power Party spokesperson Kwon Dong-wook said in a statement Sunday that these bills sponsored by the liberal parties are "filled with ideological bias." Although Lee pledged to "move beyond old ideological divisions toward dialogue, compromise, and shared progress" in a Liberation Day address Friday morning, the political divide remained visible later that night. At the so-called "civic inauguration" ceremony, the main opposition party's leadership was absent, along with prominent conservatives such as former Presidents Lee Myung-bak and Park Geun-hye and Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon. The People Power Party lashed out at the ruling bloc for granting clemency to liberal-leaning politicians. Among them were Cho Kuk, former leader of the minor Rebuilding Korea Party, who was jailed for fabricating his siblings' academic credentials, and Youn Mee-hyang, a former liberal lawmaker who was handed down a suspended sentence for embezzling donations to "comfort women" victims as a former leader of a rights group supporting the victims. Also on Friday, Rep. Ahn Cheol-soo of the People Power Party was seen holding a placard denouncing the pardon of Cho and Youn during the Liberation Day ceremony. Rep. Bak Seung-a of the Democratic Party on Saturday described Ahn's action as a publicity stunt with a political purpose, given that Ahn is one of the candidates vying for the position of party chair. The People Power Party, in the meantime, is also bracing for a special counsel's renewed attempt to conduct a search operation at the party's headquarters in Seoul, as the special counsel seeks to obtain personal information of some 5 million party members. The first attempt, a surprise raid on Wednesday, followed speculations that religious sects, including the Unification Church, may have exerted influence on the party's elections by having religious members join the party. A senior official of the Unification Church, surnamed Yoon, is accused of involvement in the Yoon couple's alleged crimes of influence-peddling in a party election, in return for projects in Cambodia, which were in the church's interests. Wednesday's raid ended in a failure following a 15-hour standoff with party members. Following this, People Power Party chair candidate Kim Moon-soo said in the primary Friday that the special counsel's attempt to seize the list of all 5 million people affiliated with the party, "suppresses democracy" in South Korea.
Korea Herald
11 hours ago
- Korea Herald
In PPP leadership race, anti-Yoon unity emerges as late wild card
The main opposition People Power Party's leadership race has shaped into a fierce contest between the party's hard-line conservative wing aligned with former President Yoon Suk Yeol and those calling for a clean break. A potential unity bid among candidates who supported Yoon's impeachment has emerged as a last-minute twist, with some in the bloc signaling hopes of pushing the contest into a runoff, disrupting the current lead held by Yoon loyalists. With five days remaining until the party elects its new leader on Friday, candidates backed by Yoon loyalists are leading the race — most notably Kim Moon-soo. Kim, the party's presidential candidate in the June 3 election and a former labor minister under Yoon, emerged as a key figure among staunch Yoon supporters late last year, when he publicly refused to apologize at the National Assembly for Yoon's controversial martial law declaration made on Dec. 3, 2024. Since then, Kim has consistently presented himself as a defender of Yoon's legacy, cultivating strong support from the party's traditional base. Trailing behind Kim is Rep. Jang Dong-hyeok, another pro-Yoon contender who has taken a similar line as Kim and aligned himself with far-right influencers. Both Kim and Jang are now regarded as standard-bearers of the party's pro-Yoon faction. According to a Gallup Korea poll released Thursday, Kim had 31 percent support among People Power Party members and unaffiliated respondents, while Reps. Ahn Cheol-soo and Jang each clung to 14 percent. Rep. Cho Kyoung-tae followed with 8 percent. The survey was conducted from Monday to Wednesday, reflecting the party's main race formula of 80 percent party electorate and 20 percent general voters. In a separate survey conducted by Media Tomato from Sunday to Monday, Kim led with 37.8 percent among the People Power Party base, followed closely by Jang at 35.1 percent. Ahn and Cho posted 8.8 percent and 8.6 percent, respectively. Despite the pro-Yoon bloc's lead, the race remains fluid. If Ahn and Cho — representing the anti-Yoon reformist camp — were to merge their bids, they could potentially surpass the front-runners in a runoff. Under party rules, if no candidate secures a majority in the first round, the top two will proceed to a final vote scheduled for Aug. 26. Ahn has largely positioned himself as a moderate reformer, sharply criticizing the party's growing tolerance of extremist far-right voices rooted in Yoon's inner circle — including with those spreading conspiracy theories about recent elections — most of whom, he argues, are Yoon supporters who have undermined the conservative bloc's identity. More recently, Ahn denounced the party Ethics Committee's decision to issue only a warning to Jeon Han-gil, a celebrity history lecturer-turned-prominent right-wing commentator who disrupted recent party rallies and labeled anti-Yoon members as "traitors." Ahn stopped short of rejecting conservatism itself, but has called for a clear separation from figures closely tied to Yoon. Cho, meanwhile, has centered his campaign on restoring the party's identity as a "rational conservative force." He has repeatedly called for Ahn to join forces under a single candidacy, regardless of who ultimately leads. Ahn has remained silent on the proposal. Calls for a merger are increasingly gaining traction within the anti-Yoon bloc. Former People Power Party Chair Han Dong-hoon and Rep. Yoon Hee-sook, who led the party's reform committee aimed at restoring public trust by distancing the party from Yoon's influence, have both publicly supported the idea of uniting what they call "common-sense candidates." "Only through unity and sacrifice among reasonable figures can we rekindle hope," Han wrote on Facebook on Saturday. In the meantime, Kim Moon-soo is continuing to rally support from the conservative base. Since Tuesday, when the special counsel investigating Yoon's wife, Kim Keon Hee, attempted to seize party membership data from People Power Party headquarters, Kim has been staging a sit-in protest in the lobby, vowing to protect the list "at the cost of my life." The protest is expected to continue until the warrant expires after a week, this coming Tuesday. Jang has taken a similar approach. On Wednesday and Friday, he held solo rallies in front of the Seoul Central District Court, calling the same probe "a politically weaponized investigation" and stressing the need to defend the party against attacks from the liberal ruling bloc.
Korea Herald
13 hours ago
- Korea Herald
South Korean found dead in Cambodian scam compound, signs of torture reported
The body of a South Korean man has been discovered in an alleged Cambodian scam compound, wrapped in blankets and plastic bags, his face swollen and bruised, indicating he may have been beaten to death. Cambodian police said the body was found Thursday in Kampot province, inside a large dumpster alongside another victim. South Korea's Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed one of the dead as a Korean national surnamed Park. The ministry said it immediately requested a full investigation from Cambodian authorities and is providing consular support to Park's family, although officials noted that "confirming further details has been difficult." What happened to Park appears bound up in the shadowy world of cybercrime compounds. The site where his body was discovered is one of dozens of massive operations in Cambodia reportedly run by Chinese organized crime groups. These compounds, often sealed off and heavily guarded, are infamous for voice phishing and fraudulent investment scams. Park is believed to have been held inside before being killed by the gang. The description of his body paints a grim picture. Local investigators reported extensive bruising and bloodstains, with swelling that suggests he endured sustained violence. The brutality echoes accounts from survivors of these scam compounds. One 28-year-old South Korean man who recently escaped told South Korean media, 'Chinese gang members will kill someone easily if money is involved.' He described beatings, electric shock and waterboarding as routine. Amnesty International estimates that more than 50 such scam compounds operate across Cambodia. Rights groups and local media alike describe them as places where national law enforcement has little reach, functioning almost as self-contained criminal enclaves. Local reports suspect that an unspecified number of South Koreans may be trapped inside these compounds, deceived by job postings advertising 'high-paying overseas employment' only to find themselves trafficked into forced labor once they have arrived. Data obtained by the office of Rep. Kim Geon from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs shows that the number of South Koreans reported kidnapped or detained in Cambodia rose from 21 in 2023 to 221 in 2024. In the first half of 2025 alone, officials estimate 212 cases, suggesting this year's total could reach double last year's figure. Despite the scale of the crisis, South Korea has struggled to intervene. Officials acknowledge that Cambodian scam compounds often operate beyond effective state control and that Seoul lacks investigative authority on the ground. At present only one South Korean police officer is stationed at the embassy in Phnom Penh. Victims who contact the embassy are advised to report directly to Cambodian police, as the embassy cannot carry out rescue missions or investigations on its own.
