Tension is rising in South Korea as the clock ticks toward the announcement of a court decision on President Park Geun-hye’s fate.
Expected to last about an hour, the verdict hearing on the president’s impeachment trial will start at 11 a.m. on Friday and is to be broadcast live to the nation.
On Thursday, the police tightened security outside the Constitutional Court and the presidential office, as supporters and opponents of Park held heated rallies, with the lanes from Anguk Station near the court closed off by the police. The police will issue the highest alert on the nation’s capital to mobilize all forces to prevent a possible outbreak of violence Friday.
Police guard the Constitutional Court in Seoul on Thursday, ahead of the final ruling Friday in President Park Geun-hye’s impeachment trial. (Yonhap)
The eight judges of the top court continued their closed-door deliberation before the crucial vote -- expected to take place at the very last minute on Friday morning -- on whether to uphold the parliamentary impeachment of Park, over a score of allegations.
President Park remained silent.
If the court decides to reinstate her, by rejecting the parliamentary impeachment or dropping the trial, she will likely address the public herself, an official from the presidential office said.
“We will calmly wait for the court’s decision,” the official said.
Friday is the last working day before acting Chief Justice Lee Jung-mi retires on March 13, creating another vacancy in the originally nine-member justice bench. The court has had only eight justices since the departure of ex-Chief Justice Park Han-chul on Jan. 31.
A decision to confirm the impeachment of President Park needs approval from at least six justices.
If the court upholds the parliamentary sacking of the conservative leader, the president will be thrown out of office immediately and an election will be held within 60 days.
If the court decides to reject the impeachment, Park will be reinstated and the presidential election will take place in December as originally scheduled.
Park was impeached by the parliament over a corruption scandal involving her and her longtime confidante Choi Soon-sil, following weeks of massive street rallies calling for her ouster.
She is accused of letting her close friend Choi, who holds no government post, meddle in state affairs, colluding with her to extort donations from local conglomerates for the Choi-controlled entities, the K-Sports and Mir foundations. Her charges also include a neglect of duty during the Sewol ferry disaster in 2014, which left more than 300 dead or missing.
By Ock Hyun-ju (laeticia.ock@heraldcorp.com)