South Korea’s Constitutional Court Rejects Impeachment of Chief State Auditor, Top Prosecutors

Members of Yoon’s ruling People Power Party had boycotted the partisan Dec. 5 impeachment vote, saying the opposition-led effort was politically motivated.

(L-R) Constitutional Court Judges Chung Kye-sun, Kim Bok-hyeong, Jung Jung-mi, Lee Mi-son, acting head of the Constitutional Court Moon Hyung-bae, Kim Hyung-du, Cheong Hyung-sik and Cho Han-chang attend the first formal hearing of the impeachment trial of suspended South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol at the Constitutional Court in Seoul on Jan. 14, 2025. Kim Min-Hee/AFP via Getty Images

South Korea’s Constitutional Court has ruled that opposition lawmakers’ impeachment of four top public officials in December was unconstitutional.

The eight-member court struck down the impeachment motions, supported by Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) members in the opposition-led National Assembly, against chief state auditor Choe Jae-hae and three top prosecutors, in a unanimous 8–0 vote, local media reported.