Court hears final arguments in Park's impeachment trial

“Please declare a victory for those seeking justice, by ousting President Park,” Rep. Kweon Seong-dong of the Bareun Party, who heads the parliamentary impeachment panel, said in his closing arguments. 

“Through the impeachment trial, it should be confirmed that South Korea is a democratic country, its people are owners of this country and everybody is equal before the law.”

Since the historic impeachment trial formally began on Jan. 3, the court held 17 hearings and brought in a total of nearly 30 witnesses to review the legality of Park’s ouster. She was impeached by the parliament on Dec. 9 following weeks of street protests calling for her ouster over a corruption scandal.

The charges include that President Park let her close friend Choi Soon-sil, who holds no government post, meddle in state affairs to help her pursue personal gains and colluded with Choi to extort donations from local conglomerates for the K-Sports and Mir foundations. She is also accused of failing to protect people’s lives during the Sewol ferry disaster in 2014, which claimed more than 300 lives.

“It is a grave violation of law and the Constitution that President Park used the government and intervene in state affairs to make personal gains,” added a parliament’s lawyer Lee Myeong-woong.

President Park did not appear at the court and instead had her lawyers read her closing arguments. She pleaded her innocence, saying she regrets her over-reliance on her longtime friend Choi Soon-sil but has never been involved in Choi’s wrongdoings.

“I feel regret that my carelessness hurt people and put a burden on state affairs. I should have not lowered my guard against Choi Soon-sil,” Park said in a statement, reiterating her claims that she only sought help with private matters from Choi, who has been by her side for 40 years.

Park also said that she had founded the Mir and K-Sports foundations to enhance culture and sports in the country, claiming no knowledge of Choi's alleged extortion of donations from local firms. She also said she never did illicit favors for any companies including Samsung Group.

“I have never been involved in any corruption and I have only worked to revive the economy since my inauguration. It is such a shame and tragedy that everything I did for the country and its people is seen as being done for a specific person,” she said. 

Park's lawyer Lee Joong-hwan said that the charges raised against President Park are exaggerated and fabricated based on false news reports.

"There was no evidence at all (to prove Park’s misdeed) when the impeachment was passed, and all the evidence the court accepted was investigation reports which are absolutely in favor of the parliament,” Lee said.

Another lawyer of Park’s claimed that Park may be subject to moral and political criticism, but she has not violated any law or the Constitution.

“She did everything out of good intention, but she could not stop corruption involving her acquaintances,” Park’s lawyer Lee Dong-heup said. “The Constitutional Court already made it clear that moral lapses, political incompetence and wrong polices cannot constitute to the reasons for the impeachment.”

Park’s lawyers again took issue with the legitimacy of the impeachment process, arguing that the charges listed in the impeachment motion should have been voted on separately and Park should be judged by a nine-member court. 

Outside the court, dozens of Park’s loyal supporters gathered around the court in the morning, waving Korean flags, to demand the court nullify the impeachment. Some of them created a ruckus, leading the police to intervene and remove them from the site.

Now, Park’s fate is in the eight Justices’ hands at the Constitutional Court.

There is an overwhelming expectation that the verdict on President Park’s fate will be made on March 10 or 13, before acting Chief Justice Lee’s term ends on March 13, as it typically takes about two weeks for the bench to write up a ruling after the final hearing. 

The Constitutional Court, which now has eight justices following the retirement of ex-Chief Justice Park Han-chul in late January, has accelerated the proceedings to prevent the worst scenario -- seven justices, the minimum required to make a ruling, decide whether to unseat or reinstate the president. The ruling to confirm the impeachment of Park needs approval from at least six justices. 

President Park, whose is suspended from presidential authority, will be removed from office if the court upholds the impeachment. The nation is required to hold a presidential election within 60 days.

By Ock Hyun-ju (laeticia.ock@heraldcorp.com)