Delay in Yoon’s impeachment ruling prolongs South Korea’s ‘suffering’ as uncertainty deepens

The opposition has called for a swift verdict to end the political crisis and allow the country to move forward

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Supporters of South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol stage a rally outside the Constitutional Court in Seoul on March 18. Photo: EPA-EFE

Published: 1:51pm, 20 Mar 2025Updated: 3:35pm, 20 Mar 2025

South Korea’s Constitutional Court has stirred nationwide anxiety by remaining silent on when it will deliver its much-anticipated impeachment ruling on President Yoon Suk-yeol, as observers warned that the delay risks magnifying the political crisis triggered by his December 3 declaration of martial law.

“With the president suspended from duty and uncertainty mounting, South Korea is suffering from growing economic losses and diplomatic paralysis,” Lee Jun-han, a political-science professor at Incheon National University, told This Week in Asia.

Yoon’s trial ended late last month and the judgment was widely expected to be announced by this week, driven by the court’s record of delivering verdicts on the country’s previous two presidential impeachment cases within two weeks of concluding hearings.

The court also typically notifies verdict dates two or three days ahead, indicating the decision will likely not be made until at least next week.

Yoon has justified his botched attempt to subvert civilian rule by claiming threats from “anti-state forces” that he claimed were aligned with North Korea and China.

Liberal opposition parties have voiced concerns that the court may be facing undue pressure from the ruling conservatives and Yoon’s far-right supporters emboldened by his release from detention earlier this month on technical grounds.