Court ruling sees South Korean's Roh return

South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun returned to work in a stronger position today after a Constitutional Court reinstated him…

South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun returned to work in a stronger position today after a Constitutional Court reinstated him by overturning parliament's vote to impeach him nine weeks ago.

Mr Roh had been in political limbo since the opposition-led chamber voted amid rowdy scenes on March 12th to impeach him - barely a year into his single five-year term - for breach of an election law, economic mismanagement and corruption among aides.

A majority of the court's nine judges ruled these were not grounds enough to oust Mr Roh.

"When I think of the seriousness of the trial, the political vacuum and the social costs, my heart still hurts," Mr Moon Jae-in, Roh's lawyer and former chief of staff, told reporters.

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After lunch with aides today, Mr Roh returned to his office in the Blue House compound for the first time in nine weeks to draft a speech he will make on television tomorrow. He had left the grounds only a few times, including to vote in last month's parliamentary election won by the pro-Roh Uri Party.

Although politically empowered after seeing off the opposition, Mr Roh now faces the task of proving he can successfully reform the country unimpeded, with a newly compliant parliament.