The Constitutional Court has rejected the National Assembly’s motion to impeach the head of the Korea Communications Commission(KCC).

The eight-member court reached the decision at 10 a.m. Thursday, about six months after the opposition Democratic Party-controlled National Assembly voted to impeach KCC Chairperson Lee Jin-sook.

The vote was split four to four, with only half the justices voting to approve Lee’s impeachment while the other half voted to reinstate her. 

Under the Constitutional Court Act, a decision to impeach requires the consent of at least six justices. 

The KCC chief can return to work immediately. 

In August the Assembly passed a motion to impeach Lee, saying she unfairly operated the watchdog’s standing committee by leaving three of the five seats vacant and allowing only two committee members to make decisions.