Impeachment Verdict for Yoon Postponed to Next Week... Likely to Exceed 91 Days Like During Park Geun-hye's Case

90 Days Since Impeachment Motion... Constitutional Court Still in Deliberation
If Ruling Date Announced on the 14th, Possible Verdict on the 17th
Variables Include Park Sungjae and Han Ducksoo Cases

The possibility of a ruling on President Yoon Seok-yeol's impeachment trial being announced next week has increased. This would break the record set by former President Park Geun-hye's impeachment trial, which took 91 days from the National Assembly's impeachment motion to the ruling. It has been 90 days since President Yoon's impeachment case was submitted to the Constitutional Court on December 14 last year.

On the 11th, as the impeachment trial verdict for President Yoon Seok-yeol approaches, police security is being strengthened around the Constitutional Court in Jongno-gu, Seoul. 2025.3.11. Photo by Kang Jin-hyeong

According to the legal community on the 14th, the Constitutional Court had not yet notified the ruling date for President Yoon's impeachment trial as of the previous day. It is known that the Court plans to hold deliberations and continue discussions for a verdict on this day, which is the 17th day since the final arguments on the 25th of last month. Considering that the Court usually notifies the parties and announces the ruling date to the media 2 to 3 days before the ruling, the likelihood of the ruling occurring next week has increased.

If the Court announces the ruling date within the day, the ruling could be made as early as the 17th; otherwise, it is expected to be possible only after the 19th. This is because the impeachment trial arguments for Minister of Justice Park Sung-jae are scheduled for the afternoon of the 18th. Given the unpredictable social repercussions following a presidential impeachment ruling, the general view is that it is unlikely the ruling will be made on the same day as Minister Park's trial.

Accordingly, the period from President Yoon's impeachment motion to the ruling will surpass the 2017 case of former President Park. Former President Park's ruling was made 91 days after the impeachment motion, and former President Roh Moo-hyun's ruling came after 63 days. The Constitutional Court's continued deliberations have thus set a new longest record. Even based on the period after the conclusion of arguments, President Yoon's impeachment trial has already exceeded former President Roh by 14 days and former President Park by 11 days.

Within the legal community, various analyses suggest that the Constitutional Court is taking time to unify opinions unanimously to minimize social confusion, and that it has entered the final stage of including dissenting opinions. Another perspective is that the prolonged deliberations are partly due to whether to issue a ruling simultaneously on Prime Minister Han Duck-soo's impeachment case, which has exceeded three weeks since the conclusion of arguments.

However, Prime Minister Han's side has submitted a statement to the Court requesting a ruling before the presidential impeachment trial and has urged a swift election. The consensus in the legal community is that, since the number of witnesses and issues are relatively simple, there is no reason for the ruling to be later than President Yoon's. Yet, if the Court rules on Prime Minister Han's case first, President Yoon's impeachment trial ruling could be delayed again.

Meanwhile, both the National Assembly and President Yoon's side are urging the Constitutional Court for a swift ruling. On the 11th, four-term lawmakers from the Democratic Party held a press conference at the National Assembly, arguing for a prompt decision on President Yoon's impeachment motion. Jeong Cheong-rae, chairman of the National Assembly's Legislation and Judiciary Committee, was also named as an impeachment motion member. President Yoon's legal representatives issued a statement after the dismissal of the impeachment motions against three prosecutors, including Choi Jae-hae, head of the Board of Audit and Inspection, and Lee Chang-soo, chief of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office, saying, "Since the destruction of the constitutional order due to abuse of legislative power has been confirmed, the impeachment against the president should be immediately dismissed."