South Korea opposition urges swift ruling on president's fate

South Korea's opposition party Monday urged the country's Constitutional Court to rule swiftly on suspended President Yoon Suk Yeol's impeachment, saying delays were "irresponsible" and causing social unrest.

Yoon was impeached by lawmakers over his disastrous December 3 declaration of martial law, and the court last month held weeks of tense impeachment hearings to decide whether to formally strip him of office.

Despite experts predicting a verdict by mid-March, the Constitutional Court has yet to rule — making Yoon's case the longest deliberation in its history.

Some 100,000 people took to Seoul's streets over the weekend, police said Monday, with protests demanding Yoon's immediate removal from office, alongside large gatherings in support of him.

"The nation and its people have reached their limits. Tension and patience have already been pushed beyond their bounds," opposition MP Kim Min-seok told a party meeting Monday.

"We await a responsible decision from the Constitutional Court. Any further delay would be abnormal and irresponsible."

South Korean authorities had last week requested a drone ban in the area around the court, prompting speculation in local media that the ruling would come imminently.

But the drone ban will be extended at weekly intervals until the end of March, police said, adding that it was intended to block potential threats, such as drone attacks, around the time of the Constitutional Court's impeachment ruling.

The Yonhap news agency said Monday the verdict was "likely to be delivered in the latter half of this week."

All predictions on when the verdict will come are "purely speculative" at this stage, Yoo Jung-hoon, attorney and political commentator, told AFP.

"Without an official court announcement on the verdict date, everyone is simply speculating," he said.

Decision 'uncertain'

Police are bracing for unrest around the verdict, and have said they were prepared to mobilise "all available equipment" to prevent clashes near the court when it announces its verdict.

Yoon's supporters have already stormed a Seoul court once, smashing the doors and windows of a district court in Seoul after a judge there extended Yoon's detention, and authorities have warned of violence around the impending verdict.

"We are discussing the temporary closure of nearby shops and gas stations on the day of the verdict," a police official told AFP Monday.

The area immediately around the court will be designated "a protest-free zone" the acting police chief has said.

Police officers are also undergoing additional training involving the use of pepper spray and batons, with the force also considering deploying special units to "respond to bomb threats".

In addition to the impeachment verdict, Yoon also faces a criminal trial on charges of insurrection for declaring martial law in December, making him the first sitting South Korean president to stand trial in a criminal case.

He was detained in a dawn raid in January on insurrection grounds, but was released in early March on procedural grounds.

His supporters have been out protesting every weekend, with tens of thousands taking to the streets on Saturday demanding that the court reinstate him, with Yoon's release from detention appearing to invigorate his backers.

"The Constitutional Court is on the verge of ruling that Yoon's martial law attempt was unconstitutional and that he should be removed from office," said Leif-Eric Easley, a professor at Ewha University in Seoul.

"But that decision is now slightly more uncertain and could be seen as illegitimate by a significant number of South Koreans," he said.

"Authorities will need to take extra precautions to prevent violent clashes in the coming days," he added.