The conservative ruling People Power Party and supporters of impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol have been harassing Constitutional Court of Korea acting Chief Justice Moon Hyung-bae in various ways, ranging from spreading fake news about him to holding demonstrations in front of his home.
Some 20 of Yoon's supporters on Monday held a protest outside of an apartment complex in Jongno-gu, Seoul, where Moon has been reported to live. They shouted slogans such as, "Martial law is the president's right," and "Under-qualified Moon should quit."
Yoon is currently on trial for impeachment on charges of leading an insurrection and abuse of power, as well as under criminal investigation for his Dec. 3 botched declaration of martial law and related orders to his military commanders and high-ranking police officials, which are suspected to be illegal in nature.
The eight-member Constitutional Court bench, currently headed by Moon, is deliberating Yoon's impeachment case.
Several residents of the apartment complex issued complaints about the noise, to which the protesters responded, "it is unavoidable since the nation is in peril."
South Korean law does not prohibit protests in residential areas, despite multiple revision attempts in the past. They included a 2021 proposal to ban rallies in front of multiunit homes such as apartments, by Rep. Kim Seung-su of the ruling party.
Yoon's supporters, who have been conducting rallies in strategic locations across Seoul, including in front of the Constitutional Court, said that they will hold rallies in front of Moon's home twice a day for the next month. They said they are currently searching for the home addresses of the Constitutional Court's other justices.
Yoon's sympathizers have been protesting the ongoing investigation and trial of the suspended president, with some demonstrations turning violent.
Last month, scores of demonstrators attacked the Seoul Western District Court, which had issued the warrant for Yoon's arrest, demanding that the president be released. The mob violence resulted in the injuries of over 50 police officers and 41 civilians, with 70 being arrested in relation to the attack and related protests.
The mob smashed glass doors, office equipment and furniture, causing at least 600 to 700 million won ($416,467-$485,971) in damages to the building, according to Court Administration Director Chun Dae-yeop.
Yoon sympathizers spread false information to attack justice
The barrage of attacks in recent days has shifted toward the ongoing impeachment trial and its current leader, action Chief Justice Moon, who was appointed by Yoon's predecessor, former President Moon Jae-in.
Speakers at a Feb. 15 pro-Yoon rally in Gwanghwamun Plaza on Saturday falsely claimed that the justice had admitted to having watched pornography shared on the online forum for alumni of Dae-A High School in Jinju, South Gyeongsang Province, which he graduated from. Police launched an investigation into this matter.
The People Power Party on Thursday repeated this claim, accusing the chief justice of doing nothing about the sharing of 2,000 instances of pornography on the forum. It added that there were "accusations that Moon hurriedly left Yoon's trial to delete his related online post."
Rep. Park Soo-min, the party spokesperson who made this comment, was asked about these claims after they were shown to be false the following day. He told reporters that his party should apologize to the public "if it did not sufficiently check the facts while processing multiple tasks."
Members of the conservative ruling party have also accused Moon of being close to Rep. Lee Jae-myung, chair of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea and front-runner in the polls for the next presidency. On Jan. 28, Rep. Joo Jin-woo of Yoon's People Power Party accused Moon of being close to Lee and Rep. Jung Sung-ho, and "the most left-leaning member of Our Law Research Association."
minsikyoon@heraldcorp.com
