S Korea to rule on Yoon's impeachment

South Korea's Constitutional Court will rule Friday on whether to formally dismiss or reinstate impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol - a decision that either way will likely deepen domestic divisions.

The court has been deliberating on Yoon's political fate after the conservative leader was impeached in December by the National Assembly, which is controlled by the liberal opposition, over his brief imposition of martial law that triggered a massive political crisis.

Millions of people have rallied around the country to support or denounce Yoon. Police said they'll mobilize all available personnel to preserve order and respond to possible acts of vandalism, arson and assault before and after the court's ruling.

Meanwhile, a former South Korean lawmaker who had been accused of sexually assaulting a woman in 2015 has been found dead in Seoul, police said yesterday.

Police said Chang Je Won was found dead in a studio in the eastern part of the capital Monday night and that a note was discovered at the scene.

Police didn't provide further details, citing the investigation into his death.

Chang served three terms as a conservative lawmaker and was a key ally of Yoon. He had been accused of sexually assaulting the woman at a hotel in November 2015, when he was vice president at a university in Busan.

Chang had denied the accusations, calling them "one-sided claims" in a Facebook post last month, in which he vowed to take legal action to protect his honor.

His terms as a lawmaker were 2008-2012, 2016-2020, and 2020-2024.

Associated Press