At impeachment trial, Park accused of violating constitution

SEOUL / AP

Prosecuting lawmakers accused South Korean President Park Geun-hye of “broadly and gravely” violating the constitution as the Constitutional Court began hearing oral arguments on Thursday in her impeachment trial.
While the lawmakers, functioning as prosecutors in the trial, argued Park should be removed from the presidency, her lawyers said the accusations lacked evidence. Park is accused of colluding with a longtime friend to extort money and favours from companies and allowing her friend to interfere with government affairs.
As the impeachment hearing was taking place, Park’s friend, Choi (pronounced Chwey) Soon-sil, appeared in another court in Seoul where she told the judge she denies the allegations against her. Also in the courtroom were former presidential secretaries Ahn Jong-beom, who allegedly pressured companies which gave tens of millions of dollars to foundations Choi controlled, and Jung Ho-sung, charged of passing government secrets to Choi, such as information on ministerial candidates.
The chief prosecutor in the impeachment trial, lawmaker Kweon Seong Dong, said Park (pronounced Bahk) abused her position by “broadly and gravely” violating the constitution to commit corruption and turn state affairs into a profit tool for her friend.
He said Park must be removed from office to repair the damage she had caused to the country’s democracy.
Parliament voted on December 9 to impeach Park, suspending her powers and making the prime minister the government caretaker. The Constitutional Court has less than six months to decide if Park should be removed or reinstated, and if it removes her, an election has to be held within 60 days.
Park’s lawyer, Lee Joong-hwan, said the accusations stated in the impeachment bill “lack evidence and fail to make legal sense” because they were based on allegations and media reports, not criminal convictions.
The hearing proceeded without Park, who refused to testify for the second time and cannot be forced to do so. The court had planned to hear testimony from four of Park’s former and current aides suspected of helping Choi, but only one appeared.

S Korea to form brigade to remove North’s leadership 

SEOUL / AP

South Korea will form a special military brigade this year tasked with removing North Korea’s leadership in the event of war as Seoul looks for options to counter its rival’s nuclear weapons and missiles, an official said on Thursday.
The brigade will aim to remove the North’s wartime command and paralyze its function if war breaks out, according to an official from Seoul’s Defense Ministry, who refused to be named, citing office rules. The brigade was originally planned to be ready by 2019. The official refused to say whether the brigade will train to execute pre-emptive strikes. The plan was included in Defense Minister Han Min Koo’s policy briefing to Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn, who became government caretaker upon President Park Geun-hye’s impeachment over a corruption scandal.
North Korea conducted two nuclear tests and a slew of rocket test firings last year in attempts to expand its nuclear weapons and missile program. Following the North’s latest nuclear test in September, South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff announced plans to strengthen its ability to conduct pre-emptive strikes.