by Xinhua writers Yoo Seung-ki, Lu Rui
SEOUL, March 25 (Xinhua) -- South Korea's rival political parties had shown conflicting points of view over how the rejected impeachment of Prime Minister Han Duck-soo will affect President Yoon Suk-yeol's impeachment trial.
Han was reinstated as prime minister and acting president on Monday as the constitutional court rejected a motion by the parliament to impeach him.
The ruling conservative People Power Party had expected Yoon's impeachment to be rejected if Han's impeachment was rejected, according to Yonhap news agency.
The main liberal opposition Democratic Party had seen a high possibility that the constitutional court would uphold Yoon's impeachment with Han's rejected impeachment for the purpose of keeping its political balance.
Despite confirmation that Han's impeachment process was legitimate, the court said neither evidence nor objective materials identified his involvement in the impeached president's martial law imposition and insurrection.
Yonhap analyzed that the court had yet to conclude whether Yoon's martial law declaration was legitimate through Han's impeachment trial, indicating no clear sign to be found for Yoon's impeachment trial.
Regarding why the constitutional court turning its stance from putting top priority on Yoon's impeachment trial to advancing Han's impeachment decision, local daily Hankyoreh assessed that the court considered a snap presidential election following a possible ouster of Yoon from office.
"If the president is ousted from office, an early presidential election will be held. (The earlier decision on Han than Yoon) was intended to restore Han to office and minimize confusion in state affairs by allowing Han to prepare for the presidential election," Lim Ji-bong, professor at Sogang University Law School, was quoted as saying.
An unnamed former constitutional court justice was quoted as saying that the court advanced Han's impeachment decision in a bid to stabilize state affairs after Yoon's possible removal from office by reinstating Han in his position.
Choi Sang-mok, finance minister who doubles as deputy prime minister for economic affairs, had served as acting president for about three months after the impeachments of both president and prime minister.
If the court upholds Yoon's impeachment, a snap presidential election is required to be held within 60 days.
Yoon declared an emergency martial law on the night of Dec. 3 last year, but it was revoked by the opposition-led National Assembly hours later.
A motion to impeach Yoon was passed in the National Assembly on Dec. 14 over his botched martial law imposition, and since then the constitutional court held 11 hearings on Yoon's impeachment.
Yoon was apprehended in the presidential office on Jan. 15 and was indicted under detention on Jan. 26 as a suspected ringleader of insurrection, becoming the country's first sitting president to be arrested and prosecuted. However, he was released on March 8 as the prosecution decided not to appeal against a court's release approval. ■