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Constitutional Court reviews S Korea's first impeachment

The Constitutional Court began its review yesterday of South Korea's first-ever presidential impeachment, starting what could be months of deliberations on whether to unseat the suspended president, Roh Moo-hyun.

The court decided to ask for Roh's testimony at its next meeting on March 30, when the prosecution and defense attorneys will lay out their cases, court spokesman Yang Chul-soo said. Roh does not have to appear in person at the public hearing, but must be represented, Yang said.

The opposition-controlled National Assembly needs at least six of the nine judges to rule in favor of its vote last Friday to impeach Roh. The justices have 180 days to decide.

The justices -- two seated under Roh's government and seven under Roh's predecessor, Kim Dae-jung -- have not commented on the case. Legal experts are divided over the impeachment's constitutionality.

The bench includes three justices selected by the parliament, three by the chief justice and three by former President Kim. Roh was a member of Kim's Cabinet and his Millennium Democratic Party (MDP), before quitting last autumn amid infighting. The MDP was one of the opposition parties that led the impeachment.

Kim Ki-choon, the chief prosecutor in the case, has said the hearing could take several months.

The opposition Grand National Party lawmaker and chairman of the National Assembly's Legislation and Judiciary Committee is leading a team of lawyers arguing that parliament's decision was legal.

Roh has appointed a former adviser on civil affairs, Moon Jae-in, to assemble his defense team.

Late on Wednesday, Moon submitted a 10-page report to the court outlining his team's arguments and calling the case "a historic precedent."

Details of the report were not available.

Parliament voted to impeach Roh for alleged election law violations, corruption scandals and economic incompetence.

The Constitutional Court must now decide if those reasons were sufficient to impeach the president.
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