A local court on Thursday dismissed the request of former lawmakers of a now-defunct minor opposition party to recover their parliamentary positions, saying the decision by the Constitutional Court cannot be overturned. 

The Seoul Administrative Court rejected the petition filed by five members of the Unified Progressive Party (UPP) who lost their seats in parliament upon the Constitutional Court's order in December 2014 to dissolve the entity for its pro-North Korean platform and activities.

"They lost the seats after the Constitutional Court made the final ruling after translating and applying the Constitution," chief judge Ban Jeong-woo noted in a verdict. "The (administrative) court is not entitled to challenge or review the ruling."

In last year's landmark decision, the constitutional court concluded that the UPP's principles and activities were in violation of the "basic democratic order" stipulated by the Constitution of South Korea, which remains technically at war with North Korea.

The ruling came more than a year after the justice ministry filed a petition with the court following the arrest of a number of UPP members on rebellion conspiracy charges. Some of the lawmakers, including Rep. Lee Seok-ki, were convicted of plotting to overthrow the government in the event of a war with the communist North. (Yonhap)