8 Judges Arrive Ahead of 'Yoon Sentencing'... Enter Deliberation Before Verdict

All Justices Arrive by 8:22 a.m.,
Acting Chief Justice Moon Hyeongbae Last to Arrive

On the 4th, ahead of the impeachment trial verdict for President Yoon Seok-yeol, the eight Constitutional Court justices arrived at work earlier than usual.

Tension is mounting on the 3rd at the Grand Bench of the Constitutional Court in Jongno-gu, Seoul, one day before the Constitutional Court's impeachment trial verdict for President Yoon Seok-yeol. 2025.04.03 Photo by Joint Press Corps

Presiding Justice Jeong Hyeong-sik, dressed in a black suit with a navy tie and carrying a small briefcase, got out of his car around 6:54 a.m. and silently headed to the office under the escort of security guards. Justices Kim Bok-hyeong, Jeong Gye-seon, Lee Mi-seon, Kim Hyeong-du, Jeong Jeong-mi, and Jo Han-chang also arrived in suits between 7:34 a.m. and 8:18 a.m., respectively.

Acting Chief Justice Moon Hyeong-bae arrived at 8:22 a.m., wearing a black suit with a gray tie, entering the office through the first-floor entrance. With Moon’s arrival, all justices had completed their attendance.

The justices plan to hold their final deliberation around 9:30 a.m. to review the final decision document. Since the final ruling order of the trial has already been decided, this is understood as a confirmation of necessary detailed adjustments.

Once the key points of the verdict are finalized, the justices will wait in a separate waiting area near the Grand Bench until the announcement time. At 11 a.m., Acting Chief Justice Moon and the others will enter the courtroom in order.

Meanwhile, the police have declared the highest level of emergency duty, "Gapho Emergency," starting from midnight, preparing for all scenarios. President Yoon will not appear at the Constitutional Court. On the 3rd, President Yoon’s legal team stated, "The President has decided not to attend the impeachment trial verdict scheduled for tomorrow," adding, "This decision was made after comprehensively considering order maintenance and presidential security concerns amid anticipated congestion." President Yoon is expected to watch the impeachment trial live broadcast on TV from his residence in Hannam-dong.