Yoon‘s verdict may be delayed without six votes for impeachment

Mar 06, 2025, 01:59 pm

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The flag of the Constitutional Court in Seoul flutters in the wind ahead of the impeachment trial verdict for President Yoon Suk-yeol. The Constitutional Court is expected to deliver the verdict as early as March 14. /Source: Yonhap News

AsiaToday reporter Kim Im-soo

The Constitutional Court may release the impeachment trial verdict for President Yoon Suk-yeol as early as next week. However, there are speculations that the verdict could be delayed if six or more votes in favor of impeachment are not secured. Acting Chief Justice Moon Hyung-bae is reportedly holding continuous deliberations to secure the necessary votes. Legal experts suggest that if the required six votes are not obtained, the verdict might be postponed.

Regardless of the appointment of Constitutional Court Justice nominee Ma Eun-hyuk, which was considered a final variable, the court plans to reach a conclusion with its current eight-member system. However, some political circles warn that if the court pushes for a unanimous impeachment decision, it could face strong public resistance.

The eight Constitutional Court justices held a closed-door meeting to discuss key issues related to President Yoon's impeachment trial, according to legal sources on Wednesday. The court plans to hold another meeting on Friday for final deliberations before the verdict. Considering it takes about a week to draft the decision, the verdict is expected to be announced next week.

The specific date for the verdict is also becoming clearer. The court has not scheduled any events before the impeachment trial hearing for Justice Minister Park Sung-jae on March 18, leading to speculation that the verdict will be announced by March 17. Given that the final arguments were held on February 25, the verdict could be announced on March 11, two weeks later. Additionally, since the impeachment verdicts for former Presidents Roh Moo-hyun and Park Geun-hye were both announced on Fridays, the 14th is considered a likely date.

The outcome of President Yoon's impeachment trial, which could shake the political landscape of South Korea, remains uncertain. President Yoon's side and the ruling party argue that the necessity of martial law was sufficiently explained during the trial, and that the deployment of military forces to the National Assembly was for maintaining order. They predict a dismissal with a 4-4 or 5-3 vote. On the other hand, the opposition party believes that the illegal and unconstitutional proclamations and the arrest orders for lawmakers will lead to an 8-0 vote in favor of impeachment.

Some legal experts and members of the ruling party suspect that the court's rejection of numerous witness and evidence requests from President Yoon's side, while accepting prosecution investigation records as evidence, indicates a conclusion in favor of impeachment. A law school professor in the Seoul metropolitan area stated, "Ignoring individual opinions of the justices is a crime against history. When the full story is revealed later, the public will not remain silent."

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