The Constitutional Court Holds The First Session Of The Impeachment Of The President Of South Korea December 27, This Is What Was Discussed

South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol. (Wikimedia Commons/DEMA/Yang Dong Wook)

JAKARTA - A meeting of judges at the South Korean Constitutional Court on Monday agreed that President Yoon Suk-yeol's inaugural hearing would be held on December 27 with an agenda of including examining evidence.

Acting Chief Justice of the Constitutional Court Moon Hyung-bae held a meeting with the six judges who will discuss the issue of impeachment on Monday at 10 am local time.

As a result, they agreed that President Yoon's inaugural impeachment trial would be held on December 27 at 2 pm local time.

"During this trial, investigative records from prosecutors, police, and other authorities will be obtained as early as possible," a court spokesman said.

The Court appointed Judge Cheong Hyung-sik as presiding judge for the impeachment trial through a random computer lottery.

The inaugural hearing was a session before the hearing of public arguments, which aims to clarify the main issues of the trial, discuss examination of evidence and decide on the selection of witnesses first.

Previously, the National Assembly in a majority vote voted in support of impeachment against President Yoon regarding the announcement of a military emergency on December 3.

A total of 300 votes were included in the vote related to impeachment, with 204 supporting, 85 opposing, 3 abstaining and 8 invalid votes.

The Court began court proceedings on Saturday, after receiving a document entitled "President Yoon Suk Yeol's Impeachment Resolution" from the National Assembly. A day later, the judges reviewed the case from their residence.

The court also said it had notified the defendant, President Yoon, and is currently asking for a response from him.

He is said to have completed his legal team which is planned to be led by Kim Hong-il, former chairman of the Korean Communications Commission.

The court spokesman said the trial process would be carried out as soon as possible.

An open hearing session for the impeachment trial requires the participation of both parties. MP Jung Chung-rae of the Democratic Party of Korea (DPK), chairman of the Legislative and Judicial Committee of the National Assembly, will act as prosecutor for impeachment. President Yoon as a defendant must also attend.

Although the number of witnesses selected for the trial is expected to affect the schedule for the impeachment trial, the court is expected to reach its final decision by the end of April.

This is due to the plan to retire two judges, Judge Moon and Judge Lee Mi-son, whose term of office will expire on April 18.

During the impeachment trial of former President Park Geun-hye, the final verdict came out on March 10, 2017, just three days before the retirement of Supreme Court Chief Justice Lee Jung-mi.

Previously, three of the total nine seats in the Constitutional Court were vacant since October 17.

As the ruling People's Power Party and opposition parties nominate their candidates for a panel of judges contested by the National Assembly, the National Assembly plans to immediately complete the appointment process, including a confirmation hearing, within this month, the Constitutional Court is expected to fill vacant seats by the end of December.

If at least six judges decide to remove the president, Yoon's impeachment will be confirmed. If this threshold is not met, the case will be dropped.

The Constitutional Court Law mandates that impeachment decisions must be made within 180 days of accepting cases, although this period of time is not legally binding.

In comparison, in the last two cases of impeachment of the president, the process was completed in less than 180 days.

The impeachment trial of former Roh Moo-hyun took 63 days, while the former President Park Geun-hye's trial took 91 days to reach a conclusion.