South Korean parliamentary lawyers are seeking the removal of President Yoon Suk Yeol over his declaration of martial law, comparing him to dictators in their final arguments during his impeachment trial. Yoon is facing possible removal from office less than three years into his presidency if the Constitutional Court upholds parliament’s impeachment, which accused him of declaring martial law without constitutional grounds. The lawyers argued that Yoon wanted to create a dictatorship and gave up his position as president when he declared martial law. They also criticized Yoon’s claims of election fraud as conspiracy theories that undermine the credibility of the election system. Yoon contends that he had the right to declare martial law to warn of parliamentary abuse by the opposition party, but parliament has raised concerns that he may attempt to impose martial law again if reinstated.
The Constitutional Court is expected to take days to rule on Yoon’s impeachment. Yoon, who is currently in detention over a separate criminal case, is the first sitting president to face a criminal trial in South Korea. If he is removed from office, a new presidential election must be held within 60 days. The court has up to six months to deliver its ruling, similar to the timeline for the impeachment of former President Park Geun-hye in 2017. Yoon’s brief imposition of martial law led to a constitutional crisis and the impeachment of the acting prime minister.
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