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| Lawyer Lee Jung-hwan, left, a member of President Park Geun-hye's defense team, submits a written statement to the Constitutional Court, Friday. The team claimed the court should nullify the National Assembly's impeachment of Park because she did not commit any serious wrongdoings deserving of impeachment. / Korea Times photo by Shin Sang-soon |
By Yi Whan-woo
President Park Geun-hye's defense team promised a tough legal battle to nullify the National Assembly's impeachment of Park in a written statement submitted to the Constitutional Court, Friday.
Her defense team denied all 13 allegations — five constitutional violations and eight legal offenses — as claimed by the opposition-led National Assembly in an impeach motion passed on Dec. 9.
Park stated her case through the 24-page document submitted in line with the Friday deadline set by the court.
It will determine whether to endorse the National Assembly's motion over a corruption scandal surrounding Park and her confidant Choi Soon-sil within 180 days of her impeachment.
"There's no reason for the President to be impeached," the delegation said during a press conference after turning in Park's statement.
"She did not violate the Constitution or law in any manner and the document is intended to show the National Assembly made the wrong decision. We'll thoroughly deal all facts and juridical relations concerning her impeachment."
The statement, however, did not provide details in backing up Park's arguments, according to the legal sources.
They also said there are no-high profile lawyers defending Park.
Her four lawyers are former Korean Government Legal Service chief Son Beom-kyu, retired prosecutor Lee Joong-hwan, former military officer Suh Sung-geon and Chae Myung-sung.
The five charges concerning the Constitution mention breach of popular sovereignty, democracy, freedom of press, personnel management and market capitalism.
They also mention Park's violation of protecting the people's lives over a dispute about the government's bungled efforts in rescuing the passengers during the deadly Sewol ferry disaster on April 16, 2014.
"The President should not be directly held responsible for the Sewol ferry disaster. She did not violate the Constitution on right to life," her lawyers said.
The eight charges on violations of the law involve giving state secrets to Choi despite her having no security clearance, abusing power and coercing conglomerates to donate to two non-profit foundations controlled by Choi and taking bribes from conglomerates in return for business favors.
Some political sources said Park has been consulting her lawyers on her defense amid the Constitutional Court's review of the 13 charges and also the special investigation led by independent counsel Park Young-soo over the Choi scandal.
Park's lawyers said it would be inappropriate for the Constitutional Court to ask the special investigators to share their investigation records.
Park has never admitted to the charges brought against her.
Just hours after she was suspended from her job on Dec. 9, she told her Cabinet members that she is beginning to understand the meaning of "tears of blood," in what was seen as her complaint of an injustice.
In her third and final address to the nation on Nov. 29 before her impeachment, she said she supported setting up two non-profit organizations controlled by Choi because she believed them to be "public projects solely for national interest."
Yoo Young-ha, the President's defense counsel, also said "no single accusation" can be accepted when the prosecution identified her as a criminal suspect in its interim investigation results announced on Nov. 20.
