March 21, 2025
SEOUL – A mix of fatigue and tension is spreading across South Korea, as protests continue over President Yoon Suk Yeol’s impeachment in an atmosphere of growing frustration.
As of Thursday afternoon, the court is yet to announce Yoon’s verdict date, more than three weeks since the court’s eight justices began closed-door deliberations on the case.
Instead, the court told the press at 3:45 p.m. that it would deliver Prime Minister Han Duck-soo’s impeachment verdict on Monday at 10 a.m. Han was suspended from his position when the National Assembly passed the motion on Dec. 27 last year.
Since the court’s announcement did not mention a ruling in Yoon’s case, and given that verdict dates are usually announced two days in advance, it is unlikely that a ruling for the president will come this week.
This could lead to Yoon’s verdict being issued at the same time as the one in a separate case involving the opposition Democratic Party Chair Lee Jae-myung, who is appealing a conviction for campaign law violations.
Lee’s case has turned into a major political issue. He is his party’s most likely candidate in an early presidential election, but his legal troubles could disqualify him from public office.
If convicted in the March 26 ruling, Lee could appeal to the Supreme Court, but if the decision is upheld there, he will lose both his National Assembly seat and his right to run in the election.
Legal experts suggest that if Lee is convicted and Yoon’s impeachment is upheld, the political landscape could shift dramatically, reshaping the field of candidates for the upcoming presidential election.
The court’s extended deliberation period has already exceeded those of South Korea’s two previous impeachments.
If the court announces its decision next week, it will come more than 100 days since the impeachment motion was passed by the National Assembly on Dec. 14, 2024.
For more than three weeks, both pro- and anti-impeachment groups have been rallying in front of the court, with some participants setting up tents for overnight protests and engaging in hunger strikes in support of or opposition to the impeachment.
On Thursday, a Yoon supporters threw eggs and bananas at a protest by Democratic Party lawmakers near the court, hitting Rep. Baek Hye-ryun.
The incident further escalated tensions, with the opposition calling for a swift resolution to the impeachment case based on the Constitution and justice.
The prolonged protests have created a tense atmosphere in the area, and security measures have been heightened in response to potential violence or clashes.
On Thursday morning, about 50 people staging a protest near the court were forced to disperse, as police said it was “an illegal, unreported assembly exceeding the scope of a one-person protest.”
In light of the mounting protests, police have reinforced security around the court, installing fences and police buses as barricades to prevent direct confrontations between opposing groups.
They are preparing for the possibility of mass demonstrations when the court announces its verdict, planning to deploy a large number of officers — 60 percent of South Korea’s riot police — to maintain order. The police have also indicated that they will clear the area around the court on the day of the verdict, taking a “vacuum state” approach to manage the situation effectively.