Choi appointed Cho Han-chang and Jeong Gye-seon from three nominees to fill vacancies at the court on New Year's Eve. With eight of the nine justices now seated, the previous requirement for a unanimous decision with only six justices on the bench has effectively been cleared.
The last impeachment ruling in 2017, involving former disgraced President Park Geun-hye, was also made by an eight-member bench.
Under South Korean law, the court requires at least seven out of nine justices to form a quorum for deliberating on an impeachment case, and a minimum of six justices must vote in favor to uphold it.
Since October last year, the court had been short of three justices, raising concerns about whether a ruling could be made with an insufficient bench. But now that the procedural hurdles have been resolved with newly appointed justices Cho and Jeong joining the bench, the court has the legal and procedural grounds to deliberate on Yoon's case.
Given that the court has pledged to prioritize Yoon's trial, it is likely that a final verdict will be delivered before April 18, when two senior justices Lee Mi-sun and Moon Hyung-bae retire.
The court has up to 180 days to deliberate and decide whether to uphold the National Assembly's decision to impeach him on Dec. 14 or to reinstate him.
Previously, the impeachment trial of late President Roh Moo-hyun took 63 days to conclude in 2004, while Park's trial in 2016 lasted 91 days.
But variables still remain, as differing views among the court's eight justices on key issues could delay the decision.
reporter
Park Sae-jin
swatchsjp@ajunews.com
Copyright ⓒ Aju Press All rights reserved.
