Whether Police Commissioner Cho Ji-ho, who was impeached for allegedly taking part in the Dec. 3 martial law, will be dismissed will be decided on the 18th.
The Constitutional Court said on the 15th that the ruling in the impeachment trial of Commissioner Cho is scheduled for 2 p.m. on the 18th in the grand courtroom.
Cho was impeached at the National Assembly on Dec. 12 last year. The reasons cited included blocking lawmakers from entering the National Assembly during martial law on Dec. 3 of the same year and deploying police to the National Election Commission and the Election Institute. The excessive crackdown at the National Workers' Rally in Nov. last year was also included as grounds for impeachment.
The court held the first preparatory hearing on July 1 this year and began deliberations in the impeachment trial.
At the final hearing on the 10th of last month, the National Assembly side argued, "The respondent violated constitutional provisions that stipulate the National Assembly's right to demand the lifting of martial law, representative democracy, and lawmakers' rights to deliberate and vote by controlling access to the National Assembly during martial law."
In a final statement, Cho said, "If I had even once had a chance to speak to former President Yoon Suk-yeol, I would have said the declaration of martial law was a wrong decision."
In connection with the martial law situation, Cho was indicted and detained in Jan. this year on charges of engaging in key duties related to insurrection. Suffering from blood cancer, he has been standing trial out of detention since the same month after the court granted bail (release with conditions such as a bond).
Cho has only been suspended from duties due to impeachment and still holds the post of police commissioner. The police have been operating under an acting system led by the Korean National Police Agency vice commissioner for more than a year.