S Korean court to uphold presidential impeachment before mid-March: law expert

South Korean Constitutional Court's Chief Judge Park Han-Chul attends a hearing on whether to confirm the impeachment of President Park Geun-Hye, at the Court in Seoul on January 5, 2017. [Photo/Agencies]

The impeachment bill was passed in the parliament by an overwhelming majority on Dec. 9. To permanently boot Park out, the bill must be upheld by the constitutional court, of which deliberation can last up to 180 days.

"It will be desirable (for the court) to rule (on the impeachment motion) by the end of this month, but the court will come to a conclusion before the middle of March," Lim Jibong, professor at law school of Sogang University who specializes in constitutional law, said in an interview with Xinhua.

The court's chief justice is scheduled to end his tenure on Jan. 31, with another judge set to retire on March 13.

Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn temporarily assumes presidential power, but the caretaker president is not allowed to appoint new justices of the court, the unique right given to a president.

After mid-March, the professor said, six of the remaining seven judges must rule in favor of the impeachment bill to permanently remove Park from office. It will weaken the persuasiveness of the final ruling and enhance the risk of being rejected.

All the judges appear to be well aware of that and are speeding up legal proceedings. Pleading sessions are set to be held twice a week, indicating the constitutional court focusing solely on this case while laying others aside. The first session was held on Tuesday.

The independent counsel team is gaining speed in its investigation into the presidential scandal as public calls are strong for an immediate resignation of President Park as proven in the past 10 Saturday demonstrations.

According to opinion surveys conducted by local media outlets for the new year, 70 to 80 percent of respondents favored the presidential impeachment.