South Korean Constitutional President Insists To Decide On Park ASAP
President of the South Korean Constitutional Court, Park Hyun Chul, whose term expires this Tuesday, has reiterated his recommendation to conclude the trial of President Park Geun Hye before March 13, when the Another of the nine judges who are part of the final court, to ensure a fair decision.
During his withdrawal ceremony, after six years as a member of the legal body, the Constitutional president has once again expressed his concern that a further vacancy in the court could end in a "distorted" ruling.
"In light of the gravity of the situation in which the president has been suspended from her position for about two months, the whole country is united in the perspective that the conclusion of the trial must arrive as soon as possible," he said.
Last week, Park recalled that "the court's decision is derived from an arduous discussion in the court and is taken among the nine judges, so each of us has significant significance," according to South Korean news agency Yonhap.
On March 13, the date he proposed to file a lawsuit, it is in which another of the nine judges, Lee Jun Mi, withdraws from the Constitutional.
Park has lamented that his departure will interfere with the decision but has indicated that "leaving a vacancy more" could hurt the outcome of the trial.
The South Korean parliament approved an 'impeachment' against Park on December 9, which was backed by 40 members of its own formation. The legislature has filed a total of 13 counts against the president: five violations of the Constitution and eight legal crimes.
Now it is the Constitutional Court that must ratify the removal of the mandatory, within a period not exceeding 180 days, which would imply that a decision was made before mid-June. However, the recommendation of the president of the body would reduce in three months the ruling.
The dismissal will be ratified if so decided by six of the nine judges who are part of the court. Once a decision has been made, if Park's suspension is to be ratified by the South Korean government, it will be necessary to hold presidential elections which, if originally planned for December, would be held in the next 60 days.
In the event that the Constitutional Court does not ratify the Assembly's decision, Park will return to the position of President - currently holding the Prime Minister, Hwang Kyo Ahn - and the next election date will be the ordinary one.
PARK RESEARCH
The conservative party faces its worst crisis after the plot unfolds, which signals the president to allow Choi Soon Sil, a confidant and friend, to interfere in matters of the state - even though it had no charge Within the government - to benefit two NGOs owned by him, which has also peppered the executives of several of the country's top conglomerates, including Samsung.
Vice President and heir to this chaebol, Lee Jae Yong, has acknowledged that the president has forced his company to finance billions of won to different organizations that Choi owned, allegations that publicly denied.
Prosecutors are investigating Park's role in pushing the National Pension Service (SNP) to support Samsung's merger with Cheil Industries in 2015, in exchange for the company's financial backing for Choi.
The SNP - which gained 11.6 percent of the shares of Samsung C & T, the construction arm of Samsung and five percent of Cheil Industries - played a key role in the merger of both units.
It is suspected that the group delivered 3.5 billion won (about 2.8 million euros) to one of the companies owned by Choi. They also believe that Samsung delivered another 20.4 billion won (over 16 million euros) to the two non-profit foundations managed by Choi.
SNP support for the merger of Samsung C & T and Cheil Industries raised serious criticism as this decision was not reviewed by an independent board.
The merger of these two units has also been seen as a step to pave the way for Samsung's heir Lee Jae Yong to take control of this 'chaebol' after his father, Samsung owner Lee Kun Hee, was hospitalized after a heart attack.
The heir of the company and chief de facto since the incapacitation of his father has ensured that the merger has nothing to do with his succession in office and that this measure only sought to benefit both companies. However, he did acknowledge having given Choi's daughter - Park's controversial confidant - a professional rider, a horse worth a million won.
Despite publicly apologizing to the people, Park's approval rating has fallen to record lows. A series of parliamentarians split from their party, recently integrated into a new formation called the Bareun Party, have assured that they will try to turn the scandal into an opportunity to reform the country and recover the true values of the party.