The flag of the Constitutional Court of Korea in Jongno-gu, Seoul (Yonhap)
The flag of the Constitutional Court of Korea in Jongno-gu, Seoul (Yonhap)

The Constitutional Court's Tuesday decision to announce its ruling on suspended President Yoon Suk Yeol's impeachment on Friday indicates that judges have reached a conclusion, according to observers on Wednesday.

Legal experts said that the court’s coordination of a verdict date typically signals that justices have formed a conclusion on whether to uphold, vote down or reject entirely the National Assembly’s impeachment motion against Yoon.

Acting Chief Justice Moon Hyung-bae has the authority to lead the designation of the verdict date, but doing so requires agreement among the seven other justices currently on the nine-member bench.

The eight justices have reportedly drafted a preliminary conclusion, including the formal ruling. Whether the justices leaned toward upholding, voting down or dismissing the motion entirely remains strictly confidential, according to the court official.

If any of the justices disagree with the majority opinion, they may submit a “dissenting opinion.” If they agree with the outcome but offer different reasoning, they may submit a “separate” or “concurring” opinion. In such cases, the justices intending to submit such opinions typically inform the court and draft them based on the preliminary majority opinion.

The remaining tasks of the eight justices until Friday involve finalizing the full decision, including whether any dissenting, separate or concurring opinions will be included in the verdict.

For major cases such as a presidential impeachment trial, the court’s special task force of constitutional researchers typically drafts a preliminary opinion following the conclusion of oral arguments. The justices then personally review and revise each clause of the document.

Once the drafting of the document is complete, the ruling will be finalized on the morning of verdict day, by having all eight justices sign the final verdict. In 2017, the justices held a final round of deliberations on former President Park Geun-hye’s impeachment on the morning of the verdict.

The court’s ruling will take effect immediately upon the reading of the final ruling. At least six of the current eight justices must vote in favor of Yoon's impeachment to remove him from office. If three or more justices oppose the motion — whether by voting it down or rejecting it completely — he will resume duties as president until his term expires on May 10, 2027.

The court has announced that the verdict on Friday will be broadcast live and open to public attendance, considering the high national interest. Tens of thousands of citizens applied for the 20 seats open to the public, resulting in the court's website going down.

This decision marks the longest deliberation in the history of presidential impeachment trials in South Korea — 35 days — underscoring the historic nature of Friday's ruling.


ddd@heraldcorp.com