Baeguk

[beifengxiaoxiao]

The Dankioray
September the Ninth, 5630

"Historically Unprecedented" - Imperial Household Organization acts to Formally Depose Empress Ryeomi
Deeply Unpopular Empress Removed for Misconduct, Abuse of Powers, Indecency

Empress Ryeoweon (麗媛居西干) is Empress no longer following a quick transfer of power ceremony at Jesu Palace earlier this morning. Brought before her uncle, she laid her ceremonial gold-and-jade crown at the feet of the Head of the House of Baek, Prince Daejung, and declared him the Emperor of the Kingdom of Great Baeguk, transferring her duties and powers as head of state to him.

This was the first time in modern Baegukese post-Gwangbok Yushin history that a sitting Head of State has been forcibly removed from the Phoenix Throne by the Imperial Household Organization (宮内省, IHO). The IHO is not a formal part of the elected government and Jibsaseong, but is rather a distinct component of the House of Baek and therefore sits "above" the duties and powers exercised by the government under the Sangdaedeung. There is not a clear constitutional provision for the existence or powers of the IHO, which instead governs itself through its constitution and the consent of the Head of State, with secure and stable traditions granting it the internal powers to choose and organize among the Imperial Family for generations since 5300.

Former empress Ryeoweon took power less than a year ago, but has been widely criticized by the public as "the worst monarch in Baegukese history". The most scandalous of her reputation has been attributed to her alleged infidelity and alleged sexual predation; several men have come out and pressed charges of sexual misconduct at the former monarch, and it is believed that she has slept with at least 30 men that have come forward. Besides this, in personal and private conduct those who had interacted with her declared former empress Ryeoweon to be rude, manipulative, self-centered, and two-faced. In addition, former empress Ryeoweon held private investments and property in Nadiya, which led many to criticize her as potentially having a conflict of interest with national security and sovereignty. 

She currently holds the worst approval rating of any modern monarch in recent history at a staggering 21% - the second-lowest was previously held by King Hwijong (輝宗尼師今) who hovered at a relatively precarious 53% approval rating in the year 5469.

This is historically unprecedented, as the monarchy has long been cherished in it's more than 3 centuries since restoration for the unparalleled political stability and authority it has grounded national politics with. According to the IHO, once it had been presented with irrefutable evidence of the former empress' "severe and unforgivable" misconduct, the Imperial Household unanimously declared her unworthy of office and issued a binding bull declaring that she would be removed from office and stripped of all duties and powers as Head of State, to be replaced with prince Baek Daejung, head of the House of Baek and patrilineal successor to the bloodline of Mount Hanma. Former empress Ryeoweon initially contested this binding bull and asserted her authority as supreme under the law, declaring it null and void.

Due to the legal ambiguity about the relationship between the IHO and the Empress and the fact that Imperial authority under Baegukese law is supreme, many observers were worried that a Constitutional Crisis would break out over the interpretation of if the IHO had any right to remove Empress Ryeoweon.

According to the Eight Tables, the supreme law of Baeguk, "The Wanggeom is the supreme authority of the state." (相王儉以道最高). However, there is currently no official title in the KGB government of "Wanggeom". The language in the original has been interpreted to equate the word Wanggeom (王儉) as the head of the Bloodline of Mount Hanma, which is descended from Danseon Wanggeom, the only ruler in Baegukese history to hold the title. Traditionally, this distinction would not have mattered, as before the amendments to the rules of succession allowing for female sovereigns, the Emperor of Baeguk would've concurrently been the head of the House of Baek. It was only under the ascension of the former Empress Seoncheok that the holder of the crown and the position of patrilineal successor to the bloodline were split, which created a distinction between the regent holder of the office and the holder of "Wanggeom" legal authority under the Eight Tables.

Under this interpretation, the authority of Wanggeom has been transitively applied to the head of the bloodline descended from Danseon patrilineally as in tradition, which would invest not the former empress, but rather the head of House Baek with supreme authority; the current head of the house is prince Baek Daejung. According to law, a female ruler cannot assume the title of Maripgan (麻立干), and is instead considered a Geoseogan (居西干). Whilst Geoseogan is traditionally translated to Luthorian as "Empress", it in fact legally and socially is subordinate to Marpigan and has the connotation of meaning "Princess Regent". Prince Baek Daejung declared that the Eight Tables did not give former empress Ryeoweon any powers because she is not considered an actual ruler, but rather a princess ruling as regent in stead of an Emperor.

Eventually, former empress Ryeoweon ultimately stood down and reversed her rejection of the bull, accepting it as legitimate and declaring her resignation complete immediately. She was escorted out of Jesu Palace today and gave her crown to her uncle Baek Daejung in a symbolic gesture of fealty and submission.

Prince Daejung has thus become Emperor and will begin the process of selecting his era name. Former Empress Ryeoweon will revert to her old title and name, princess Baek Chaewon, being denied the title of "Empress Emeritus" as would be traditionally applied to a former Head of State. Some sources allegedly close to the princess suggest that she will attempt to leave the KGB for Nadiya, where she has private personal assets, although this is unconfirmed.