With the court concluding the impeachment trial hearings Monday, President Park Geun-hye enters what could be the final two weeks of her presidency, depending on the decision of the Constitutional Court.

Awaiting the court’s ruling -- largely expected to be delivered around March 10 -- Park and her lawyers are set for an all-out war to defend the president from impeachment.

The nation’s attention is now on whether Park will make an appearance in public or speak out on her own instead of through her lawyers.

“I am sorry that my errors have hurt the people and burdened the state affairs,” Park’s lawyer read at the impeachment trial’s final session on her behalf.

The reclusive state chief continued to remain away from public sight, absenting herself from the hearing.

But Park’s aides hinted the suspended president would not just sit back and embrace the court’s ruling, citing her past experience of making bold moves in the face of challenges.

Since the National Assembly passed the bill on her impeachment in December last year, the president has spoken to the media in her own defense, once through a surprise press meeting on New Year’s Day and once through a private interview with a local media chief editor.

On each of the two occasions, Park claimed to have had no knowledge of the wrongdoings of her confidante Choi Soon-sil. She also asserted that the charges raised against her were politically motivated.

As the president attended neither the impeachment trial, nor responded to the special prosecutors’ summons for questioning, a speech in full public view is likely to be her last chance of affecting the nation’s sentiment.

Meanwhile, her lawyers made last-minute efforts to deter the top court from leaning toward impeachment, claiming that the current evidence and circumstances are insufficient to oust the state leader.

“A ‘considerable’ level of suspicion should never be enough to acknowledge a president’s impeachment,” said Lee Joong-hwan, one of Park’s lawyers, citing the lack of evidence to back Park’s faults.

“An impeachment trial should be based on judicial judgment, not political ones, so the president may not be ousted simply for ‘not doing so well’ in politics.”

It is also possible that the president’s legal representative may once again file a complaint at being judged by an eight-member Constitutional Court.

The top court is currently chaired by acting Justice Lee Jung-mi, due to the retirement of former Chief Justice Park Han-chul in late January.

But in the wake of reports that the Supreme Court’s Chief Justice Yang Sung-tae may soon appoint a justice, Park’s aides have been calling for a delay in the impeachment ruling until the Constitutional Court is under a full nine-member court again.

As for rumors that the president may choose to step down voluntarily before the impeachment ruling so as to avoid the dishonor, the political circle remains skeptical.

“President Park’s (tactic) of delaying the court ruling as much as possible is no longer valid, so it seems that the conservative camp shall henceforth focus on exerting pressure on the court’s justices,” said Rep. Min Byung-doo of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea.

The Constitutional Court on Monday afternoon held the final pleading session on President Park’s impeachment, on the grounds that she let her civilian friend Choi meddle in state affairs and neglected her duty as state chief.

By Bae Hyun-jung (tellme@heraldcorp.com)