South Korea Constitutional Court to rule on Yoon’s impeachment on April 4

(Reuters)

SEOUL, April 1- South Korea’s Constitutional Court, which is reviewing President Yoon Suk Yeol’s impeachment, will announce its decision on whether to remove him from office permanently or reinstate him on April 4, the court said in a statement on Tuesday.

The court said the ruling will be delivered at 11 a.m. (0200 GMT) and live broadcast of the session will be permitted.

Yoon was impeached by parliament on December 14 after being accused of violating his constitutional duty by declaring martial law in early December with no justifiable grounds.

Advertisement · Scroll to continue

The suspended leader has said he never intended to fully impose military rule but instead meant to sound the alarm over the opposition Democratic Party’s abuse of its parliamentary majority that he argued was threatening to destroy the country.

In his final statement before the court ended arguments on February 25, Yoon also said his decision to declare martial law was an appeal to the people to overcome “anti-state forces”, pro-North Korea sympathisers, and opposition gridlock.

The won reversed earlier losses to turn higher against the dollar after the announcement of the ruling date. The stock market’s benchmark KOSPI (.KS11), opens new tab was up 1.5% after the announcement of the ruling, after pairing earlier gains to 0.5%.

The court, which currently has eight justices with one seat vacant, can decide to oust Yoon only when 6 or more judges agree, according to South Korea’s constitution.

The wait of more than a month for the time of the ruling has fuelled a bitter clash between the ruling party, with many of its members calling for Yoon’s reinstatement, and the opposition, which has said his return would deal a serious blow to the country’s constitutional order.

The looming decision has also deepened division among the public, with large crowds packing downtown streets in rallies for and against Yoon’s removal, with rhetoric becoming increasingly heated. Police are bracing for potential violence once the ruling is announced.