PM denies role in martial law bid, asks to be reinstated

Prime Minister Han Duck-soo denied any role in President Yoon Suk Yeol’s failed martial law bid as he asked the Constitutional Court on Wednesday to dismiss his impeachment and reinstate him.

Han attended what turned out to be the first and only hearing of his impeachment trial, two months after he was suspended from duty over a string of allegations related to Yoon’s short-lived imposition of martial law on Dec. 3.

The National Assembly impeached him, less than two weeks after impeaching Yoon, for his alleged involvement in imposing martial law, his refusal to appoint additional justices to the Constitutional Court, and his refusal to promulgate two special counsel bills targeting Yoon and first lady Kim Keon Hee, among other reasons.

“In a situation of extreme confrontation between the rival parties, I sought to overcome the difficult circumstances by exercising control over each ministry and assisting the president, but failed to convince the president to make a different choice,” Han said at the hearing.

“I make clear that I did not have prior knowledge of the president’s plans, did my best to persuade the president to reconsider and had no part whatsoever in mobilizing troops,” he added, referring to the troop deployment to the National Assembly after martial law was declared.

Han said he is sorry the people have had to endure difficult circumstances amid the political turmoil and asked the justices to make a “wise judgment” to enable the nation to move forward to an “era of rationality.”

The National Assembly’s impeachment committee, however, argued the prime minister’s impeachment was called for as the court’s nine-member bench would otherwise still be three justices short.

Currently, there are eight justices on the bench after acting President Choi Sang-mok appointed two.

Rep. Jung Chung-rai of the main opposition Democratic Party, who chairs the committee, said that if Han had not been impeached, the Constitutional Court would still be operating with only six justices, creating instability, and heightening public anxiety and confusion.

With Wednesday’s hearing, the court concluded oral arguments but did not set a date for its verdict.

The ruling is widely expected in March, as legal experts anticipate that the decision will take approximately two weeks or longer.

In past impeachment trials, verdicts were delivered 14 days after the final oral argument for former President Roh Moo-hyun, 11 days for former President Park Geun-hye and 28 days for former Interior Minister Lee Sang-min.

Some forecasts suggest that, due to overlapping legal issues related to the martial law declaration, the two impeachment rulings for Han and Yoon could be announced around the same time.