El gobierno no lo respalda

Un español al comando

El gobierno ordena investigar

No debería haberlo cerrado

• South Korea’s President Yoon Suk Yeol was impeached on Dec. 14 after declaring martial law. Prime Minister Han Duck-soo then became the country’s acting leader before being impeached himself.
• The country’s Constitutional Court overturned Han’s impeachment, reinstating the nation’s No. 2 official as acting leader on Monday.
• The unprecedented, successive impeachments of the country’s top two officials intensified domestic divisions. Massive rival rallies backing or denouncing Yoon have divided the streets of Seoul and other major cities in South Korea. 

South Korea’s Constitutional Court overturned the impeachment of Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, reinstating the nation’s No. 2 official as acting leader Monday while not yet ruling on the separate impeachment of President Yoon Suk Yeol over his shocking imposition of martial law in December.

Many observers said the 7-1 ruling in Han’s case did not signal much about the upcoming verdict on Yoon, as Han wasn’t a key figure in imposing martial law. But the ruling could still embolden Yoon’s staunch supporters and ramp up their political offensive on the opposition.

Speaking with reporters following his reinstatement, Han thanked the court for what he called «a wise decision» and promised to focus on tackling «urgent matters,» including a fast-changing global trade environment, in an apparent reference to the Trump administration’s aggressive tariffs policy. He also called for national unity, saying: «There’s no left or right — what matters is the advancement of our nation.»

NORTH KOREA FIRES MISSILES AS US, SOUTH KOREA BEGIN THEIR 1ST JOINT MILITARY EXERCISE OF TRUMP’S 2ND TERM

South Korea has been thrown into political turmoil since Yoon, a conservative, declared martial law on Dec. 3 and sent hundreds of troops to the liberal opposition-controlled National Assembly and other places in Seoul. Yoon’s decree lasted only six hours as enough lawmakers managed to enter an assembly hall where they quickly voted down the decree.

The impeachment arguments

The assembly impeached Yoon on Dec. 14, alleging he violated the Constitution and other laws by suppressing assembly activities and trying to detain politicians. Yoon’s impeachment made Han acting president until he was impeached in late December.

The unprecedented, successive impeachments that suspended the country’s top two officials intensified domestic division and deepened worries about South Korea’s diplomatic and economic activities.

A major trigger for the opposition’s push to impeach Han was his refusal to fill three vacant seats at the Constitutional Court’s nine-member bench. That was a highly explosive issue because the court needed support from at least six justices to approve Yoon’s impeachment and filling its empty posts could make such a decision more likely.

After Han was suspended, his successor as acting president, Choi Sang-mok, appointed two new justices but left the ninth seat vacant.

Han was also accused in the impeachment motion of abetting Yoon’s martial law declaration and obstructing efforts to open independent investigations into Yoon’s alleged rebellion in connection with his martial law decree.

On Monday, seven of the Constitutional Court’s eight justices ruled to overturn or dismiss Han’s impeachment. They ruled that his alleged actions weren’t against the law or weren’t serious enough to remove him from office or his impeachment motion didn’t even meet a required quorum when it passed through the assembly. One justice upheld Han’s impeachment.

The main liberal opposition Democratic Party expressed regret over the court’s decision to reinstate Han and urged it to dismiss Yoon quickly. Yoon’s office welcomed Monday’s ruling, saying it shows again the opposition’s repeated uses of impeachment motions were «reckless, malicious political offensive.»

What’s next?

Observers earlier had predicted the Constitutional Court would rule on Yoon’s case in mid-March, but it hasn’t done so, sparking varied speculation on possible reasons.

«Today’s verdict will give hope to Yoon’s supporters for a similar fate and hope for Yoon’s opponents for his ouster,» said Duyeon Kim, a senior analyst at the Center for a New American Security in Washington. «But it’s too soon to predict the court’s verdict on Yoon because the specific details of both cases and allegations are different.»

Kim said the reinstatement of Han, a career bureaucrat, will bring more stability to South Korea compared to when his powers as acting president were suspended.

Massive rival rallies backing or denouncing Yoon have divided the streets of Seoul and other major cities in South Korea. Earlier surveys showed that a majority of South Koreans were critical of Yoon’s martial law enactment, but those supporting or sympathizing with Yoon have later gained strength.

Yoon argues that his martial law introduction was a desperate attempt to bring attention to the «wickedness» of the Democratic Party which obstructed his agenda and filed many impeachment motions against senior officials. Yoon critics counter he likely tried to use military rule to frustrate possible special investigations into scandals involving him and his wife.

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Senior military and police officers sent to the assembly have said that Yoon ordered them to drag out lawmakers to prevent a floor vote to overturn his decree. Yoon says the troops’ deployment was designed to maintain order.

If the court upholds Yoon’s impeachment, South Korea must hold a presidential election to choose his successor. If it rules for him, Yoon will regain his presidential powers.

Yoon has separately been charged with directing rebellion, a charge that carries the death penalty or a life sentence if he is convicted.

El presidente estadounidense Donald Trump anunció este lunes que impondrá un arancel del 25% a partir del 2 de abril a todos los países que compren petróleo o gas venezolano.

Venezuela «ha enviado (…) de forma deliberada y engañosa, a decenas de miles de delincuentes» y «ha sido muy hostil hacia Estados Unidos y las libertades que defendemos», afirma en su plataforma Truth Social. Hace unas semanas Washington dio de plazo hasta el 3 de abril a la petrolera estadounidense Chevron para liquidar sus operaciones en el país caribeño.

Trump afirma, sin pruebas, que Venezuela ha enviado “intencionadamente y engañosamente” criminales, incluidos individuos violentos y miembros de bandas como Tren de Aragua, a Estados Unidos.

Esta noticia surge tras informes de que Trump se dispone a retrasar los aranceles que anunció previamente, incluyendo un 25% sobre las importaciones de productos farmacéuticos, automóviles y madera. Dichos aranceles debían entrar en vigor el 2 de abril, el mismo día en que Trump anunció que anunciaría una serie de aranceles recíprocos a otras naciones, un día al que se refiere como el «Día de la Liberación».

Los mercados abrieron considerablemente al alza el lunes y no parecieron inmutarse por las últimas amenazas de Trump.

Venezuela fue uno de los principales proveedores extranjeros de petróleo a Estados Unidos el año pasado, según datos comerciales del Departamento de Comercio. En total, Estados Unidos compró 5.600 millones de dólares en petróleo y gas de ese país en 2024.

De hecho, Estados Unidos encabeza la lista del puñado de países que compra petrolero al régimen de Maduro.

Los principales destinos de exportación de petróleo de Venezuela son España, Italia, Estados Unidos y China.

El crudo venezolano es apetecible para Estados Unidos porque es de relativo bajo costo y originario de un mercado cercano.

El crudo pesado venezolano, de un grado único conocido como Merey, sirve para mezclarse con los petróleos más ligeros de Estados Unidos.

El crudo venezolano también es óptimo para las refinerías de conversión profunda existentes en China.

Con información de agencias y medios locales