On the morning of the 13th, at the Constitutional Court in Jongno-gu, Seoul, Chief Justice ad interim Mun Hyeong-bae and other justices are entering the courtroom for the impeachment trial of three prosecutors, including Choi Jae-hae, head of the Board of Audit and Inspection, and Lee Chang-su, chief prosecutor of the Central District Prosecutors’ Office. (Joint Coverage) March 2025.
(Seoul=News1) Senior Correspondent Park Tae-hoon reports that Representative Lee Yong-woo, the chairman of the Democratic Party’s Legal Committee, expects the Constitutional Court to deliver its verdict on President Yoon Seok-youl’s impeachment trial on the 17th or 18th.
During an appearance on CBS Radio’s ‘Kim Hyun-jung’s News Show’ on the 14th, Rep. Lee expressed disappointment that the ruling was not issued today, adding, “Since there is a hearing scheduled for Justice Minister Park Sang-ki’s impeachment trial at 2 PM on March 18, I believe the court will issue a decision by the morning of March 18 at the latest.”
Therefore, he anticipates the ruling might be delivered on the 17th or, at the latest, the morning of the 18th.
Rep. Lee also noted that he expected the impeachment ruling against the three prosecutors, including Choi Jae-hae and Lee Chang-su, to come after President Yoon’s impeachment decision, which surprised him. However, he conjectured that the rulings were being issued sequentially based on when the cases were submitted.
Following this, he pointed out that both Police Commissioner Jo Ji-ho and Minister of Justice Park Sung-jae were impeached before President Yoon, but since the hearings concerning them have not been concluded, the next decision from the Constitutional Court should logically pertain to Yoon Seok-youl’s impeachment.
Regarding the unexpectedly prolonged deliberations by the Constitutional Court, he speculated that, unlike in the case of Jin-sook Lee’s Broadcasting Commission’s impeachment, which was split 4-4, the court might be collaboratively gathering opinions on every minor factual issue, reflecting an effort to reach consensus on the five reasons for impeachment, thereby justifying the delay.
In summary, he inferred that due to the issue’s potential to amplify national confusion and conflict, the Constitutional Court might be investing time to reach a unanimous decision in order to present a unified verdict, hence the postponed announcement of the ruling date.