Constitutional Court Dismisses Impeachment of Minister of Justice Park Seong-jae... Immediate Return to Duty

by Kwak Minjae

Published 10 Apr.2025 14:45(KST)

Updated 10 Apr.2025 14:56(KST)

On the 10th, the Constitutional Court dismissed the National Assembly's impeachment motion against Minister of Justice Park Seong-jae. Minister Park immediately resumed his duties 119 days after the impeachment motion.

Yonhap News

At 2 p.m. that day, the Constitutional Court held the verdict session for Minister Park's impeachment trial at the Grand Bench in Jongno-gu, Seoul, and unanimously dismissed the National Assembly's impeachment motion with all eight justices in agreement.

The Constitutional Court judged that there was no evidence or objective data to recognize that Minister Park assisted in the declaration of martial law. The Court stated, "There is no evidence or objective data to acknowledge that the respondent assisted the president's declaration of martial law through implicit or tacit consent."

Regarding the meeting at the presidential safe house in Samcheong-dong, the Court said, "Merely the fact that a meeting was held at the presidential safe house after the martial law was lifted does not mean that the respondent was involved in the act of rebellion by discussing legal follow-up measures and seeking countermeasures."

Regarding Jang Si-ho's refusal to submit the Seoul Detention Center departure record, the Court judged that "the departure record of a detainee cannot be considered a matter of personal privacy" and found it to be a violation of the National Assembly's testimony and inspection law. However, the Court added, "The violation is not serious enough to warrant revoking the public's trust indirectly granted to the respondent."

Minister Park was impeached by the National Assembly on December 12 of last year for attending the Cabinet meeting on December 3, the day martial law was declared, without opposing former President Yoon Seok-yeol's plan to declare martial law, and for discussing follow-up measures to martial law with former Minister of the Interior and Safety Lee Sang-min and others at the safe house in Samcheong-dong the next day. The National Assembly also cited allegations that Minister Park ordered the establishment of detention facilities at Seoul Eastern Detention Center during martial law as grounds for impeachment.