[WEEKLY FOCUS] Yoon's impeachment trial wraps up: Will key verdicts expected in March reshape the political landscape?

The final hearing of President Yoon Suk Yeol's impeachment trial wrapped this week, and the Constitutional Court began deliberations.

To delve deeper into the recent hearing and what lies ahead, we have our political correspondent Shin Ha-young. Welcome.

Thanks for having me.

Ha-young, first walk us through the final hearing of Yoon's impeachment trial.

Sure. The 11th and final impeachment hearing came 73 days after the National Assembly passed an impeachment motion following President Yoon Suk Yeol's martial law declaration.

As the final speaker in his trial, President Yoon on Tuesday defended his actions, insisting that his call for martial law was a one-off plea to the public during what he described as a "state of emergency" caused by legislative obstruction and budget cuts from the opposition party.

Take a listen.

He also pledged to push for political reform and more effective governance through constitutional amendments if he were to resume his duties.

Despite his firm stance, Yoon apologized for the confusion and inconvenience caused by his martial law declaration.

The National Assembly's impeachment panel co-chair Jung Chung-rae delivered his final statement in front of Yoon saying that the public had already rejected Yoon and urged the court to uphold the impeachment.

Take a listen.

"President Yoon took the oath of office to uphold the Constitution and defend the nation, yet he sent martial law troops to invade the National Assembly and trampled on the Constitution. The respondent no longer has the qualifications to remain as president. He is no longer the president in the hearts of the people."

Starting Wednesday, the Constitutional Court justices decided to hold deliberations every day except holidays and weekends, until the verdict is delivered.

Now all that's left is the Court's verdict, which is expected in March. But when exactly will it happen?

The date hasn't been set yet, but based on past presidential impeachment trials, the verdict is expected to come out around mid-March after about two weeks of deliberations so some say between March 10th and 14th.

For the late former President Roh Moo-hyun, the court dismissed the impeachment motion 14 days after the final hearing, while it took 11 days for former President Park Geun-hye's verdict to be delivered.

The court usually announces the date just a few days before, and this time it's also likely to be confirmed two to three days in advance as well.

Speaking of the timing of the verdict, this week the Court ruled that the acting president's non-appointment of a justice infringes on the National Assembly's rights.

You're right. It's one of the factors we need to consider when it comes to the timeline for the verdict on Yoon's impeachment.

The Constitutional Court on Thursday ruled that Acting President Choi Sang-mok's decision to withhold the appointment of Justice nominee Ma Eun-hyuk was unconstitutional, violating the National Assembly's authority to select Constitutional Court justices.

Take a listen to what Acting Chief Justice Moon Hyung-bae said.

"The non-appointment of Justice candidate Ma Eun-hyuk infringes upon the petitioner's right to participate in the Constitutional Court's composition through the election of a court justice as granted by the Constitution."

At the same time, the Court dismissed the request from the National Assembly Speaker to confirm Ma's status as a justice or order his immediate appointment, citing legal limitations.

Choi had appointed two out of three justices put forward by the Assembly in December last year, but deferred Ma Eun-hyuk's appointment, calling for bipartisan agreement first.

Now all eyes are on when Choi will appoint Ma as a Constitutional Court justice.

The Assembly Speaker and opposition Democratic Party are calling for the immediate appointment, but there's no legal way to force it.

Choi's office said the Acting President would "respect" the Court's decision, and would carefully look into the verdict, but couldn't comment on if or when Ma would be appointed.

If Ma Eun-hyuk is appointed before the Constitutional Court's ruling on Yoon's impeachment, the court will have to decide whether Ma will join the case.

If he doesn't, the court will proceed with eight justices, and the verdict will likely come around mid-March as expected.

But if he participates, the Court would have to decide whether Ma should conduct a brief review of trial materials, or hold a retrial process which involves a more comprehensive examination with more hearings.

The latter could significantly delay the ruling.

A day after Yoon's final hearing, opposition leader Lee Jae-myung's final hearing was held at an appellate court over election law violation charges. Tell us about that.

Indeed, the final appellate trial hearing for main opposition Democratic Party leader Lee Jae-myung's violation of the Public Official Election Act was held on Wednesday at the Seoul High Court.

"Everything that's said to be the will of the world is bound to follow common sense and principles. The court will sort it out properly."

Prosecutors demanded a two-year prison term for Lee.

Lee was indicted on charges of making false statements in December 2021, during a media interview where he denied knowing a man involved in a land development scandal in Seongnam.

He is also accused of having made false claims that there was pressure from South Korea's land ministry to rezone a research institute site in the Baekhyeon-dong area.

In the original verdict, the Seoul Central District Court ruled that Lee had spread false information while disputing corruption allegations during his presidential campaign and handed him a one-year prison sentence suspended for two years.

Ha-young, then how will Lee's trial affect the political landscape going forward?

Well, the first thing we need to think about is that if the Constitutional Court upholds the motion to impeach President Yoon, there will be an early presidential election within 60 days.

Then the speed of the Supreme Court's review on Lee's case could become a crucial factor in Lee's presidential ambitions.

If the first ruling stands, Lee will lose his legislative seat and be barred from running in elections for ten years.

The decision on his appeal is scheduled to come on March 26th.

However, there's a variable in February, Lee filed a request with the appellate court for a constitutional review, seeking a ruling on the constitutionality of relevant legal provisions.

If the court accepts the request, the trial will be suspended until the Constitutional Court issues a ruling.

So far, the appellate court has yet to make a decision on this request.

Key verdicts are expected in March, so we should keep an eye on how Lee's trial and Yoon's impeachment trial could reshape the political landscape.

Alright. We'll have to see how the situation unfolds.

Thank you for the wrap-up today Ha-young. We appreciate it.

My pleasure.