
The Constitutional Court of Korea on Thursday failed to reach a majority of six votes, with four of its eight judges voting for her impeachment and the other four voting against, clearing the way for Lee's return to work.
The ruling effectively ended a five-month-long saga that began in August of last year when the National Assembly voted to impeach her, accusing her of making decisions with only a handful of members present. That led to the suspension of her duties shortly after her appointment as chief of the watchdog.
The watchdog's relevant law stipulates that meetings shall be convened at the request of two or more members, and decisions require the approval of a majority of the five-member committee in attendance. However, since August 2023, the committee had been running with only two members due to delays in filling the vacancies.
Meanwhile, despite the different nature of the matter, some suggested that Thursday's ruling could be a precursor to the upcoming verdict in President Yoon Suk Yeol's impeachment trial over his botched martial law debacle last month, as the same eight-justice bench will decide the case.
Copyright ⓒ Aju Press All rights reserved.