Live: Will President Yoon's impeachment trial end today? Court says it "doesn't know"

President Yoon Suk Yeol's impeachment trial draws near to a close, with the eighth and final session scheduled so far taking place on Thursday.

For more, we connect to our Oh Soo-young at the Constitutional Court.

Q1. Sooyoung, The eighth hearing of President Yoon's impeachment trial began moments ago in the main courtroom. Tell us more.

Sure, Dami, The eighth and what could be the final hearing of President Yoon's impeachment trial began at 10 AM with the leader once again attending to represent himself.

Today, three witness examinations are scheduled,

National Intelligence Service Director Cho Tae-yong, former Seoul Metropolitan Police Commissioner Kim Bong-sik, and head of the Capital Defense Command's 1st Security Group Cho Sung-hyun.

National Police Agency Commissioner General Cho Ji-ho was also set to testify but couldn't due to health reasons, marking his second absence.

The questions are likely to focus on the orders that were given on the night of December 3rd when the President declared Martial Law, as justices continue to review whether his actions were Constitutional in terms of legality and context.

Cho Sung-hyun's questioning session should be interesting as he was summoned to the trial by the judicial bench, as his boss Capital Defense Commander Lee Jin-woo refused to answer certain questions regarding President Yoon's direct orders on sending troops to the National Assembly and the arrest of politicians.

Given the conflicting statements we've seen so far at past hearings, it's unclear whether today's will offer more clarity or confusion.

Q2. Right. It's still unclear whether the Court will conclude the sessions today or not.

That's right, Dami. Press Officer Cheon Jae-hyun said Wednesday that she hasn't been informed of any additional hearings, and when asked about the possibility, simply said she didn't know.

She also refused to answer how trials normally wrap up.

Based on previous cases, we can assume it would take around two to three hours for both the petitioner and the respondent to make their final arguments.

Now, as there's a full day of witness questioning today, experts predict there'll be one or two more hearings scheduled.

But if the hearings do conclude today, the verdict could come as early as late February.

Former President Park Geun-hye underwent 17 hearings in her impeachment trial, while former President Roh Moo-hyun's trial involved seven hearings. Park's impeachment was upheld in 11 days, and Roh Moo-hyun's was dismissed in 14 days.

Q3. Well, what will affect the timeline of the verdict?

One key factor is whether additional witnesses will be approved.

So far, the court has accepted a total of 15 witnesses in the impeachment trial—seven requested by the National Assembly and eight by President Yoon's side.

This compares to the 36 witnesses approved during Park Geun-hye's impeachment trial.

The Court says it is reviewing the three new candidates requested by Yoon.

Experts say, there could be ramifications later if the justices don't show due process.

Another variable affecting the timeline is the dispute case related to Acting President Choi Sang-mok's decision not to appoint Ma Eun-hyuk as a Constitutional Court justice.

If the Constitutional Court upholds the jurisdictional dispute and Ma is appointed, the court will return to its full nine-member bench, and Ma will participate in the impeachment trial.

Yoon's team might request a retrial process then, asking Ma to review evidence records from the beginning, which would delay the ruling.

Soo-young, thank you for the coverage.

That was our Oh Soo-young live from the Constitutional Court.