Court dismisses talk of new justice amid impeachment trial

Published : Feb 24, 2017 - 16:37 Updated : Feb 24, 2017 - 16:37

The Constitutional Court on Friday dismissed reports that a new justice will be named to the bench next week, saying President Park Geun-hye's impeachment trial will move forward within the set time frame.

The court has shown a determination to rule on Park's impeachment by March 13, when acting Chief Justice Lee Jung-mi is set to complete her term and retire. The final hearing has been scheduled for Monday, after which justices are expected to take up to two weeks to write their opinions and deliver the ruling.

(Yonhap)

Park, who was impeached in December over a corruption scandal centered on a close friend, has appeared to be trying to stall the proceedings by requesting a large number of witnesses and ignoring various deadlines set by the court. Her ouster requires the approval of at least six justices, and there are currently eight after one retired last month. Once Lee retires, Park will need only two justices on her side to be reinstated.

The local daily JoongAng Ilbo reported that Supreme Court Chief Justice Yang Sung-tae plans to name Lee's successor after the final hearing, which could be as early as Tuesday.

Park's lawyers welcomed the plan, saying the announcement weakened the court's argument that the trial should conclude by March 13. By law, the court has until early June to decide whether to oust or reinstate the president.

"The Supreme Court's nomination of a successor brings a huge change to the impeachment trial," Son Bum-kyu, one of Park's attorneys, said in a phone call with Yonhap News Agency. "We will express our opposition to concluding the hearings (on Monday) to the Constitutional Court."

A court official, however, made clear that the justices plan to stick to their original time frame.

"Even if (the Supreme Court makes the nomination) today, we will carry on regardless according to our schedule," he told reporters on the condition of anonymity. "The final hearing will be on Monday. That won't change."

The Supreme Court acknowledged that it is looking into nominating a new justice to meet its legal obligations and avoid delays in the operations of the Constitutional Court. But it denied the process had anything to do with the impeachment trial.

"We have no intention whatsoever to disrupt or influence the impeachment trial," a Supreme Court official said on the condition of anonymity. "We plan to carry out the nomination procedures after the impeachment hearings have concluded, and have yet to decide on a specific time or schedule." (Yonhap)