The Ball is in the Constitutional Court... How Will the Impeachment of President Yoon Suk-yeol Conclude?

On the 14th, the impeachment motion against President Yoon Suk-yeol (pictured) was passed in the National Assembly's plenary session due to the state of emergency declared on the 3rd. Now, the ball is in the court of the Constitutional Court.

President Yoon has become the third sitting president to have an impeachment motion passed, following former Presidents Roh Moo-hyun in 2004 and Park Geun-hye in 2016. In the case of former President Roh, the impeachment was dismissed by the Constitutional Court, so if the court decides to impeach President Yoon, he will become the second president to be removed from office after former President Park.

The key issue is likely to be whether President Yoon committed a serious violation of the law.

In the case of former President Roh, the Constitutional Court dismissed the impeachment on the grounds of minor legal violations. In contrast, in the impeachment trial of former President Park, the court unanimously ruled for removal, citing serious legal violations such as allowing Choi Seo-won (formerly Choi Soon-sil) to interfere in state affairs.

Although direct comparisons are difficult, it is expected that the process of declaring a state of emergency, which triggered the current impeachment situation, will be examined to determine whether it violated the constitution or betrayed the public's trust, thus assessing the seriousness of President Yoon's legal violations.

The Constitutional Court will begin deliberations, which can last up to 180 days. Currently, with three of the nine judges' seats vacant, theoretically, the impeachment can be dismissed with just one opposing vote. Therefore, it is anticipated that the National Assembly will expedite the appointment of Constitutional Court judges.

Kim Bong-gu, Hankyung.com reporter kbk9@hankyung.com