Final Verdict on Impeachment Expected May 14

The Constitutional Court will present its final verdict on the president’s impeachment at 10 a.m. on May 14 at the grand court of the court building, it said yesterday.

The court will allow a court relay broadcast for people to watch the verdict process, considering the gravity of this case and nationwide concern.

The court decided these matters during a two-hour general conference at 10 a.m. today for discussing detail issues, and notified parliament prosecutors and Roh’s attorneys about this decision right after the general conference.

Constitutional Court researcher Chon Jong-ik, in charge of official reporting of this case, said the court made out the verdict schedule as early as possible, stating, “But the court will discuss unsatisfied matters at any time until the final verdict.”

When the final verdict is presented, it is expected that Court President Yun Young-chul will state the number of the case, the text of the judicial decision and the outline of the case in brief according to the general proceedings. Afterwards, one of the judges who submitted the minority opinion will explain the reasons behind the verdict.

The court is said to have made a tentative decision to express the majority opinion as a form of the text, and not to make public the minority opinion and the names of the judges who had this minority opinion because it is concerned about a split in national opinion.

“We can make public how the opinions of the judges were split and how the minority opinion was stated on the day of the final verdict,” said researcher Chon.

Sang-Rok Lee myzodan@donga.com