"Delaying Tactics Used to Appease Conservatives Over Yoon's Dismissal"
"Verdict Date Determined by Thorough Political Calculations"
"If Yoon Returns, He Won't Withstand Public Protests"
Kim Jin, a former editorial writer at JoongAng Ilbo known as a conservative commentator, claimed regarding the impeachment trial verdict of President Yoon Seok-yeol that "the Constitutional Court has already reached an 8 to 0 internal agreement." In particular, he analyzed that the delay in the Constitutional Court's impeachment ruling against President Yoon is due to the court's political calculations. Kim, a prominent conservative commentator, also ran as a candidate in the 19th presidential election.
Conservative commentator and former JoongAng Ilbo editorial writer Kim Jin claimed regarding the impeachment trial verdict of President Yoon Seok-yeol that "the Constitutional Court has likely already reached a unanimous 8-0 decision." YouTube channel Kim Jin TV
On the 31st of last month, Kim appeared on CBS Radio's 'Park Jae-hong's One-on-One Battle' and stated, "There are rumors of a 5 to 3 deadlock, and even that the verdict might be postponed until after the retirement of Constitutional Court Chief Justice Moon Hyung-bae on April 18, but the court has already internally agreed 8 to 0." He especially evaluated, "The core issue is the heated conflict in Korean society over whether to impeach or dismiss, and because this conflict is at a very dangerous level, the Constitutional Court is employing a delaying tactic to cool down the tension." He added, "I have been making this claim since the court started postponing the verdict date. The court's delaying tactic is now at its final cliff, and probably within this week, at the latest by next week on April 18, the verdict will be announced. The likelihood of it happening this week is very high, and in my judgment, the court has considerable nerve."
Analyzing the Constitutional Court's strategy, Kim said, "What the court aims for is to raise public opinion to the highest level, urging 'whether impeachment or dismissal, make a quick ruling because the tension is exhausting.' Since the internal agreement is already 8 to 0, the court is trying to soothe the conservative side and those opposing impeachment to ease the conflict."
He also evaluated that the court operated with a three-stage strategy. He explained, "The first stage was to appease the conservative camp by dismissing the impeachment of Audit Chief Choi Jae-hae and three prosecutors; the second was to restore Acting Prime Minister Han Duck-soo to stabilize the government and manage preparations for an early presidential election; the third was the second trial verdict of Representative Lee Jae-myung." He added, "The court expected a guilty verdict for Representative Lee on March 26, but the few days were disrupted by his acquittal. Because he was acquitted, if a guilty verdict had been delivered on March 26, the court would have announced an 8 to 0 dismissal verdict around March 28."
Kim further stated, "If an unimaginable event occurs and the president returns, he would not last a day or two," and dismissed the possibility of dismissal by saying, "The president would resign due to public protests." He diagnosed, "The possibility of dismissal by a 5 to 3 vote without an 8 to 0 impeachment is almost zero," adding, "All three conservative justices would have to vote for dismissal for that to happen." Finally, he said, "Even judging by facts and legal principles, all five points of the impeachment charges warrant impeachment," and added, "Even if the impeachment is dismissed, administratively it is no longer a lame duck but a dead duck, and would civil servants recognize the president as the highest administrative authority?"
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