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

SEOUL – The Constitutional Court of Korea, 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 April 1.

The court said that the ruling will be delivered at 11am local time (10am Singapore time),and live broadcast of the session will be permitted.

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

The suspended leader has said that 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, which he argued was threatening to destroy the country.

In his final statement before the court ended arguments, Mr Yoon also said that 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 South Korean won reversed earlier losses to turn higher against the US dollar after the announcement of the ruling date, and the stock market’s benchmark Kospi index was up 1.5 per cent.

The court, which now has eight justices with one seat vacant, can decide to oust Mr Yoon only when six or more justices agree, according to South Korea’s Constitution.

The wait of more than a month for the time of the court decision has fuelled a bitter clash between the ruling party, with many of its members calling for Mr 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 deepened divisions among the public, with large crowds packing downtown streets in