Constitutional Court rules to disband left-leaning UPP

The Constitutional Court today ruled to dissolve the left-leaning minor opposition Unified Progressive Party (UPP).

Park Han-Cheol, the chief of the Constitutional Court, handed down the verdict on Friday, saying eight out of the Court's nine judges voted to disband the UPP. The disbandment order, an unprecedented ruling in the country's history, takes effective immediately.

The Court also ruled that the five UPP lawmakers lose their parliamentary seats.

The ruling comes after the Ministry of Justice filed the petition with the Court to disband the UPP in November last year.

The party is accused of having conspired a pro-North Korean revolution, a move which violates the basic democratic order stipulated by the Constitution.