No Hee-beom, Former Constitutional Research Officer, "8-0 Unanimous Decision... The Conclusion Must Have Already Been Reached"

"No Privileges for Former Presidents Upon Dismissal... Only Personal Security Provided"

No Hee-beom, a former constitutional research officer and lawyer, stated regarding the impeachment trial of President Yoon Seok-yeol, which is scheduled to be delivered on the 4th, "I do not know what the conclusion will be, but it will be decided with a unanimous opinion."

On the 3rd, Lawyer No said on CBS Radio's 'Kim Hyun-jung's News Show,' "If even one of the five major issues constitutes a serious unconstitutional act warranting dismissal, then dismissal will follow," adding, "There may be separate or supplementary opinions, but the decision on the president's impeachment will be unanimous among the eight justices."

The major issues in President Yoon's impeachment trial are ▲the declaration of emergency martial law on December 3 ▲the drafting and announcement of Proclamation No. 1 ▲deployment of military and police forces to the National Assembly ▲attempted warrantless search and seizure of the Central Election Commission ▲and orders for arrest and detention of key personnel.

Barricades have been installed at the entrance of the Constitutional Court in Jongno-gu, Seoul. Photo by Yonhap News.

He further explained, "The moment the verdict is read, the president may be stripped of office or return to duty." He added, "Former presidents are provided with pensions, secretaries, and offices, but if dismissed, they are not subject to the laws concerning former presidential privileges," and "Only minimal security for personal safety will be provided."

Regarding the theory that all decisions on acceptance, dismissal, or rejection are written first and then the final decision is made at the Constitutional Court, he said, "I heard that a similar process was followed during former President Park Geun-hye's impeachment," but added, "It is not logically possible to make the final ruling 30 minutes to an hour before the verdict."

Lawyer No said, "It seems to be a formality done for security reasons," and "The Constitutional Court notifying the date of the verdict means the conclusion has already been reached." He also added, "The decision document is almost complete, and today the justices will review, refine, and sign it. A press release based on the decision document will also be prepared today."