By Seyi Babalola
South Korea’s Constitutional Court will rule on Friday whether to permanently remove impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol from office.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, the court stated that it will rule on Yoon, who was impeached by legislators after briefly proclaiming martial law late last year, at 11 a.m. (02:00 GMT), and the decision will be televised live.
To remove Yoon from office, at least six of the eight justices must vote to uphold his impeachment.
If the court affirms Yoon’s impeachment, then a presidential election will be conducted within 60 days.
Otherwise, Yoon, who has been suspended since mid-December, will be reinstated immediately.
Yoon claimed he issued his short-lived martial law decree to raise alarm about what he claimed was the opposition Democratic Party’s obstructionism and sympathetic stance towards North Korea.
Yoon, who was elected in 2022, lifted martial law within six hours after the National Assembly voted unanimously to overturn the decree.