South Korean investigators push to summon impeached president as court set to determine his fate
Seoul (AP): South Korean law enforcement authorities are pushing to summon impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol for questioning over his short-lived martial law decree as the Constitutional Court began its first meeting Monday on Yoon's case to determine whether to remove him from office or reinstate him.
A joint investigative team involving police, an anti-corruption agency and the Defense Ministry said it plans to convey a request to Yoon's office that he appear for questioning on Wednesday, as they expand a probe into whether his ill-conceived power grab amounted to rebellion.
Son Yeong-jo, an investigator with the Corruption Investigation Office for High-Ranking Officials, said the team plans to question Yoon on charges of rebellion and abuse of power. He declined to provide specifics when asked how investigators would respond if Yoon refuses to appear.
Son said the team tried to deliver the summons request to the presidential office but was rerouted to Yoon's personal residence after presidential secretarial staff claimed they were unsure whether conveying the request to the impeached president was part of their duties.
Yoon was impeached by the opposition-controlled National Assembly on Saturday over his Dec 3 martial law decree. His presidential powers will be suspended until the Constitutional Court decides whether to formally remove him from office or reinstate him. If Yoon is dismissed, a national election to choose his successor must be held within 60 days.
Yoon has justified his martial law enforcement as a necessary act of governance against the main liberal opposition Democratic Party that he described as “anti-state forces” bogging down his agendas and vowed to “fight to the end” against efforts to remove him from office.
Hundreds of thousands of protesters have poured onto the streets of the country's capital, Seoul, in recent days, calling for Yoon's ouster and arrest.
It remains unclear whether Yoon will grant the request by investigators for an interview. South Korean prosecutors, who are pushing a separate investigation into the incident, also reportedly asked Yoon to appear at a prosecution office for questioning on Sunday but he refused to do so. Repeated calls to a prosecutors' office in Seoul were unanswered.
Yoon's presidential security service has also resisted a police attempt to search Yoon's office for evidence.
The request came before the Constitutional Court met Monday to discuss the case. The court has up to 180 days to rule. But observers say that a court ruling could come faster.
In the case of parliamentary impeachments of past presidents — Roh Moo-hyun in 2004 and Park Geun-hye in 2016 — the court spent 63 days and 91 days respectively before determining to reinstate Roh and dismiss Park.
Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, who became the country's acting leader after Yoon's impeachment, and other government officials have sought to reassure allies and markets after Yoon's surprise stunt paralysed politics, halted high-level diplomacy and complicated efforts to revive a faltering economy.
Democratic Party leader Lee Jae-myung urged the Constitutional Court to rule swiftly on Yoon's impeachment and proposed a special council for policy cooperation between the government and parliament.
Lee, a firebrand lawmaker who drove a political offensive against Yoon's government, is seen as the frontrunner to replace him. He lost the 2022 presidential election to Yoon by a razor-thin margin.
Kweon Seong-dong, floor leader of Yoon's conservative People Power Party, separately criticised Lee's proposal for the special council, saying that it's “not right” for the opposition party to act like the ruling party.
Yoon's impeachment, which was endorsed in parliament by some of his ruling People Power Party lawmakers, has created a deep rift within the party between Yoon's loyalists and his opponents. On Monday, PPP chair Han Dong-hun, a strong critic of Yoon's martial law, announced his resignation.
“If martial law had not been lifted that night, a bloody incident could have erupted that morning between the citizens who would have taken to the streets and our young soldiers,” Han told a news conference.
Yoon's Dec. 3 imposition of martial law, the first of its kind in more than four decades, harkened back to an era of authoritarian leaders the country has not seen since the 1980s. Yoon was forced to lift his decree hours later after parliament unanimously voted to overturn it.
Yoon sent hundreds of troops and police officers to the parliament in an effort to stop the vote, but they withdrew after the parliament rejected Yoon's decree. No major violence occurred.
Opposition parties have accused Yoon of rebellion, saying a president in South Korea is allowed to declare martial law only during wartime or similar emergencies and would have no right to suspend parliament's operations even in those cases.
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World champion returns: Gukesh lands in Chennai to rapturous welcome
Chennai (PTI): Newly-crowned world chess champion D Gukesh returned home to an enthusiastic reception as hundreds of eager fans, and officials from the Tamil Nadu government and the national federation lined up to receive him at the airport here on Monday.
The 18-year-old defeated China's Ding Liren 7.5-6.5 in Singapore last week to become the youngest ever world champion, overhauling the long-standing mark set by Russian icon Garry Kasparov as a 22-year-old back in 1985.
Upon his arrival, Gukesh thanked everyone for supporting him.
"It's amazing. Your support gave me a lot of energy. It's a great feeling to win the world championship," said Gukesh as media and fans jostled to get a closer view of the youngster.
"It means a lot to bring back trophy to India. Thank you for this reception. I hope we will have a great time in the next few days celebrating together," he added.
Once he touched base at the Kamaraj airport, the Sports Development Authority of Tamil Nadu and his school Velammal Vidayala staff greeted him with a bouquet before draping a shawl around him at the airport lounge.
Gukesh started his chess journey at the Velammal school.
After greeting the waiting fans, Gukesh left for his home in a car decorated with flowers, and his photo.
He is scheduled to speak to the media later in the day at the Velammal School in Mogappair, before settling at home to celebrate with his parents, relatives and friends. His father -- ENT surgeon Dr Rajinikanth -- was with him during the entire competition, while his mother -- microbiologist Padmavathi -- joined him in Singapore after the final round.
On Tuesday, he will be given a grand reception at the Kalaivanar Arangam at Wallahjah Road and he will be taken to the iconic auditorium in a specially-arranged parade.
Tamil Nadu CM MK Stalin is expected to be present during the function to present Gukesh with a cheque of Rs five crore.
"To honour the monumental achievement of Gukesh, the youngest-ever World Chess Champion, I am delighted to announce a cash prize of 5 crore!
"His historic victory has brought immense pride and joy to the nation. May he continue to shine and achieve greater heights in the future," Stalin had written on X soon after Gukesh's historic triumph.
Gukesh is only the second Indian after the great Viswanathan Anand to claim the world title. Anand played a pivotal role in shaping the teenager at his academy here.
Gukesh has enjoyed a stellar year, starting with his win in the Candidates Tournament in Toronto that made him the youngest challenger to the world crown.
He later spearheaded India's first-ever gold-winning campaign in the Chess Olympiad in Budapest. The world champions win also fetched Gukesh a whopping cash prize of USD 1.3 million (approx Rs 11.03 crore).
