"Dismissal" 22 Minutes After Sentencing Begins... Cheers Erupt in the Silent Courtroom [Yoon Seok-yeol Dismissal]

All Eyes on the Constitutional Court's Grand Chamber
Moon Hyungbae Declares, "The Respondent Is Dismissed"
National Assembly Impeachment Prosecutors Cheer, Gasps Erupt
President's Defense Team Leaves in Silence

"The respondent, President Yoon Seok-yeol, is dismissed."

"Wow!"

At 11:22 a.m. on the 4th, Acting Chief Justice Moon Hyung-bae of the Constitutional Court read the ruling that concluded the impeachment trial, prompting cheers from the gallery in the grand courtroom.

This was the historic moment determining whether President Yoon Seok-yeol would be removed from office. At exactly 11 a.m., Acting Chief Justice Moon declared, "We will now begin the verdict for the 2024HeonNa8 impeachment case against President Yoon Seok-yeol," and the grand courtroom was filled with a tense, suffocating silence. For the 22 minutes that Acting Chief Justice Moon read the decision explaining the verdict, the courtroom remained frozen in silence. Unlike the intense media competition and protester chants outside, only the soft clicks of photographers' shutters echoed inside. The only sound was Acting Chief Justice Moon's voice, and the only movement was from the live broadcast TV cameras.

Twenty members of the public, selected through an online lottery, were also seated in the gallery. They had overcome a competition ratio of 4,818.5 to 1. These attendees also wore expressions of intense anticipation. One member of the public clasped their hands together in prayer.

The National Assembly's impeachment prosecution team and President Yoon's defense team entered the courtroom sequentially starting at 10:24 a.m. The prosecution team members?Assemblyman Jeong Cheong-rae, former Constitutional Court Justice Kim Yi-su, former National Human Rights Commission Chairman Song Doo-hwan, and former Seoul High Court Chief Judge Lee Kwang-beom?took their seats in order. Defense attorneys Bae Jin-han and Cha Ki-hwan whispered to each other.

At 11 a.m., the announcement "The justices will enter" was made, and the justices entered. Acting Chief Justice Moon and Presiding Justice Jeong Hyeong-sik, along with six other justices, entered one by one. Their inner thoughts were unreadable from their expressions. The eight justices kept their lips tightly sealed and stared straight ahead.

At 11:01 a.m., Acting Chief Justice Moon began reading the decision, saying, "We will now begin the verdict." Everyone in the grand courtroom listened intently. When addressing the defense team's claim regarding procedural issues in the National Assembly's impeachment resolution process, he explained, "This is merely a hypothetical claim without objective supporting evidence." At this point, Justice Kim Hyeong-du looked around the gallery from side to side. Simultaneously, defense attorney Kim Gye-ri stared intently at Acting Chief Justice Moon. Meanwhile, prosecution attorney Jang Soon-wook smiled faintly.

At 11:10 a.m., as the court began discussing the gravity of the impeachment charges in earnest, tension peaked. When the ruling stated that even if the National Assembly's exercise of authority was illegal or improper, it could not justify the exercise of emergency state powers, the expressions of President Yoon's defense team hardened. Impeachment prosecution chairman Assemblyman Jeong Cheong-rae of the Democratic Party stared fixedly at the bench. Defense attorney Cha Ki-hwan raised his clasped hands onto the table.

At 11:16 a.m., Acting Chief Justice Moon said he would consider whether the grounds for impeachment were serious enough to warrant dismissal. This was the moment when the decision on President Yoon's removal could be inferred. Emotions fluctuated with each line of the decision's summary.

Acting Chief Justice Moon stated, "The respondent reproduced a history of abuse of emergency state powers, shocking the people and causing chaos," adding, "The respondent's illegal acts have had a significant negative impact and ripple effects on the constitutional order. It is recognized that the constitutional benefit gained by dismissal overwhelmingly outweighs the national loss caused by the president's removal. Therefore, the respondent Yoon Seok-yeol is dismissed."

At 11:22 a.m., after reading the ruling, Acting Chief Justice Moon and the eight justices exited the courtroom. The impeachment prosecution attorneys shook hands and encouraged each other. National Assembly attorneys Jang Soon-wook and Lee Jin-han embraced and patted each other's backs. President Yoon's defense attorneys left the grand courtroom silently, their faces flushed. After the 22 minutes that changed President Yoon's fate, the cheers of protesters shouting "Impeachment invalid" grew louder around the Constitutional Court.