Impeachment Ruling for President Yoon Likely Delayed Until Late Next Week
Moon Hyungbae and Lee Miseon’s Terms End on April 18
Constitutional Scholars Warn of Potential 'Functional Paralysis'
The ruling on the impeachment trial that will determine President Yoon Seok-yeol's fate has been indefinitely delayed once again, pushing the decision to next week. With Acting Chief Justice Moon Hyung-bae and Justice Lee Mi-seon’s retirements just three weeks away, concerns are rising that the Constitutional Court could become a 'lame duck court,' plunging President Yoon’s case into even greater uncertainty.
Acting Chief Justice Moon Hyung-bae and other justices are attending the final hearing of President Yoon Seok-yeol's impeachment trial held at the Constitutional Court in Jongno-gu, Seoul on February 25, 2025. Photo by Joint Press Corps
As of the morning of the 28th, the Constitutional Court has yet to announce the date for the impeachment ruling. It has been 105 days since the National Assembly passed the impeachment motion against President Yoon. If the court does not announce the ruling date today, the earliest possible date is expected to be between the 2nd and 4th of next month.
If the court deems the deliberations insufficient, it may continue its discussions without reaching a conclusion next week as well. The justices have been holding deliberations almost daily since the closing of arguments on the 25th of last month, but have yet to reach a final decision.
If the ruling on the impeachment trial is further delayed until mid-April, the Constitutional Court will enter a 'functional paralysis' state. Currently operating with eight justices, if two justices retire, the court will fail to meet the quorum of seven needed to make any decisions.
Acting Chief Justice Moon and Justice Lee were appointed on April 19, 2019, and will complete their six-year terms and retire on the 18th of next month. With Prime Minister and Acting President Han Duck-soo not appointing Justice Ma Eun-hyuk, if these two justices retire, the court will be reduced to six members. Even if Acting President Han appoints Justice Ma and two successors simultaneously, questions of legitimacy are likely to arise.
A constitutional law professor who requested anonymity said, "The continuous delay in setting the ruling date seems to be a deliberate stalling tactic by some justices to drag out the process until mid-April, waiting for the two justices to retire and for the court’s functions to be paralyzed."
Another legal expert said, "If things just continue until April 18, the Constitutional Court will effectively cease to exist, so this situation will likely persist until the end of President Yoon’s term. Even if Acting President Han appoints three new justices, they will probably bring in figures aligned with the dismissal side."
However, the legal community generally believes that since the court has been deliberating the case for a long time and to avoid unnecessary political misunderstandings, a conclusion will likely be reached before the two justices retire. The Constitutional Court also delivered its ruling on former President Park Geun-hye’s impeachment case on March 10, just three days before then-Acting Chief Justice Lee Jung-mi’s retirement.
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