Live from Constitutional Court: Is ruling on Pres. Yoon's impeachment trial unlikely to come this week?

We turn now to the Constitutional Court as speculation abounds over the date of the ruling on President Yoon Suk Yeol's impeachment.

For more I have our political correspondent Shin Ha-young standing by live at the court.

Ha-young, it's good to have you on.

So when can we expect to hear the court's verdict on the president's political fate?

Well, Sunny, today was the expected day for the announcement of the ruling date, based on the initial expectation that the verdict would be delivered this Friday.

However, we are still waiting for the Constitutional Court to announce this.

This means that considering previous presidential impeachment trials, when the dates came out two to three days in advance, the chances of a ruling this week now seem less likely.

Since the final hearing last month, the court has been holding deliberations almost every day for the past two weeks, excluding holidays and weekends.

Despite this, it has already been the longest deliberation period of presidential impeachment trials.

If the ruling comes next week, it will also set the record for the longest time from the impeachment of a president to the final verdict.

It is reportedly known that Yoon's case is taking longer because there are many contested issues.

Also, with the impeachment verdicts on the chief state auditor and three top prosecutors scheduled for tomorrow, it's expected that Yoon's case will likely be pushed back to next week, as it's rare for the court to issue major rulings on consecutive days.

If the ruling happens early next week, there may be a notice by the end of this week, so we'll need to keep an eye on this.

I see.

Moving on then Ha-young, does the president's recent release from detainment look to affect the Constitutional Court's ruling on his impeachment?

Well, the general consensus in the legal circle is that it won't have much impact.

This is because the issue with the detention cancellation mainly concerns how the period is calculated, which is different from the impeachment trial that focused on the declaration of martial law.

However, as a Seoul court ruling on Yoon's detention also highlighted procedural flaws in the investigative process, some say it could put some pressure on the Constitutional Court.

An official from the court said the judges will assess whether there's any impact, but noted that the investigation records from the CIO were not used in the impeachment trial, so it's unlikely to have a significant effect.

Following the detention cancellation, there were calls from the ruling party for hearings in the impeachment trial to resume.

However, so far there's been no move from President Yoon's side asking for a resumption.

If more hearings are held, there are concerns that a delay in the ruling could lead to more pressure from the opposition party over the appointment of Constitutional Court justice nominee Ma Eun-hyuk, a left-leaning judge recommended by the opposition Democratic Party.

And in the meantime I hear protests for and against the president remain intense.

Do tell us more.

Sunny, I can definitely say that both the size and volume of rallies are growing in front of the court ahead of the verdict.

The political battle between the rival parties is also escalating outside the National Assembly.

The main opposition Democratic Party began a march from the Assembly to Gwanghwamun this afternoon, calling for Yoon's impeachment.

The ruling People Power Party said it wouldn't hold protests or pressure the Constitutional Court, but some of its members are staging relay protests in front of the court.

Also, today, PPP lawmakers visited the court and submitted their second petition to appeal for the court to dismiss Yoon's impeachment.

Meanwhile, police are considering issuing the highest emergency level on the day of the ruling, which would allow them to mobilize up to one hundred percent of available police officers.

Additionally, they have requested the land ministry to temporarily impose a no-fly zone over the Constitutional Court.

That's all I have for this hour. Back to you Sunny.

All right Ha-young, thank you for that coverage.

That was our political correspondent Shin Ha-young reporting live from the Constitutional Court.