Consitutional Court to launch prepatory procedures on Mon. with full judges' meeting

[Anchor]

The impeachment motion against President Yoon Suk Yeol has been passed in the National Assembly, and the ball is now in the Constitutional Court's court.

The Constitutional Court will hold a full judges' meeting tomorrow (Dec. 16) to discuss the future procedures.

Reporter Hwang Hyun-kyu has the details.

[Report]

The Constitutional Court will hold a full judges' meeting at 10 AM tomorrow, where six judges will gather.

This meeting is to discuss the schedule for handling the impeachment trial of President Yoon Suk Yeol.

A dedicated team composed of constitutional researchers will also be formed for legal review.

The presiding judge is expected to be assigned tomorrow as well.

Once these preparatory procedures are completed, hearings will commence where the National Assembly and President Yoon's side will argue over the legitimacy of the impeachment motion.

Considering that it took 25 days for the first hearing to be held after the impeachment motion was passed against former President Park Geun-hye, the first hearing date for President Yoon could be as early as early January next year.

The Constitutional Court has stated that it will handle the case as quickly as possible, so it is expected that focused hearings will take place 2 to 3 times a week following the first hearing.

From the receipt of the case to the ruling, it took 91 days for former President Park Geun-hye and 63 days for former President Roh Moo-hyun.

In the case of President Yoon Suk Yeol's impeachment trial, a conclusion may come even faster than that.

[Kim Seon-taek/Professor at Korea University Law School: "(In the case of former President Park Geun-hye) it was about bribery or some corruption scandals. A lot of records came in. This time, it was an act that corresponds to a martial law declaration that was broadcast live. So the facts are clear."]

In impeachment trial cases, it is a principle for the hearings to be public.

There are also speculations that President Yoon, who has been claiming the legitimacy of the martial law declaration through several statements, may personally stand to defend himself.

KBS News, Hwang Hyun-kyu.